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WITH

THE

TWENTY-

NINTH

DIVISION

IN

GALLIPOLI

CREIGHTOM



GEOHGL

PHILIP

d

SON,

LTD.

Lonf^ans.

Green

&

Co., London.

New

York,

Bombay,

Calcutta

&

Madras.



WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

IN

GALLIPOLI



u

<

'A

a.

O

fl

W

D.

-

y.

^



WITH

THE

TWENTY-

NINTH

DIVISION

IN

GALLIPOLI

A

CHAPLAIN'S

EXPERIENCES

BY

THE

Rev.

O.

GREIGHTON,

G.F.

Church of

England

Chaplain

to

the

86th

Brigade

WITH TWENTY-SIX

ILLUSTRATIONS

AND

TWO MAPS

LONGMANS,

GREEN

AND GO.

39

PATERNOSTER

ROW,

LONDON

FOURTH

AVENUE

&

SOin

STREET,

NEW

YORK

1916



To the

Memory

of many

new-found

Friends,

whose

bodies

lie

on

the

Gallipoli

Peninsula,

hut

the

fruits

of

whose

devotion

and

sacrifice

are

ours,

and

in honour

of every

officer

and

man

of

the

Twenty-ninth

Division^

these

pages

are

offered



FOREWORD

At

a

time when

so

many

books

are

being

written

on

the

war,

it

is

with

a

feeling

of

great

hesitation

that

I have

decided

to add

to

their

number. It was

only

on

returning

home

for

a

month's

sick

leave, after

the

evacuation

of

the

Gallipoli

Peninsula

had

been com-

pleted

and

one

distinct

chapter

of

the

war

had

been

finally

closed, that,

in

the

press

of

all

that

is

and

will

be

happening

elsewhere,

there

seemed

a

danger

of

the wonderful

exploits

of

the

Division

which

played

so

leading

a

part

in

the

Eastern

Campaign

being

forgotten.

We

had

had to

abandon the

Peninsula.

But

this

does

not mean

we must

forget

those

who

played

so

heroic

a

part

in

this

desperate undertaking.

Their

graves

lie in

the hands

of

our

enemies,

but

their

memories and

examples

are

ours.

I

had

been

in

the

somewhat

exceptional

position

of

being

able to

keep

a

diary throughout

the six

months

that

it was

my great

privilege

to

be

with the

29th Division,

and

to see different

aspects

of

its

life

and

work from

those visible to

the

ordinary

war

correspondent

or

military

historian.

I

am

a

civilian,

and know

nothing

of

military

matters

beyond

what

any

average

civilian

may

pick up

in

a

campaign.

Accordingly,

the

picture

I

give

is

almost

solely

a

human

one.

Naturally,

being

in

the

position

of

Church of

England

Chaplain

to

the

86th

Brigade,

my

diary

is

very

full of

allusions,

often of

a

personal

vii



viii

FOREWORD

nature,

to

my

own

special

work.

And while the

diary

is

published

as

a

memorial

to the

29th

Division,

it

would

be

very

difficult

to

avoid

all

mention of

my

work,

or

my

impressions

as

Chaplain,

without

destroy-

ing

the

symmetry

of

the

whole.

In

war

time,

as

every

one

knows,

the air

is

full of

rumours,

and

statements

made

with

the most

positive

certainty

are full of

inaccuracies.

Knowing

this,

in

keeping my

diary

I

took

pains

to

write

only

what

I

got

at

first

hand and from

personal

observation

(unless

otherwise

stated),

and

in all

statements of

numbers,

etc.,

tried

to be

as

accurate

as

possible.

Hence

the

diary

is

very

incomplete.

It is

no

history

of

the

doings

of

the

29th

Division.

The

regiments

I

saw

most

of

naturally

figure

the

largest

for

this

reason

only,

and

not because

their

deeds

were

more

worthy

of

mention

than

those

of

other

regiments.

I

simply

give

my

diary

almost

in full

as

it

was

written,

only

omitting

what would

not

be of

general

interest,

or

personal

comments which it

would

hardly

be

right

or

wise

to

publish.

If

worth

printing

at

all,

the

diary

must stand

on its

own

merits.

I

have

added

some

notes here

and

there,

amplifying

the

text

a

little,

from

first-hand

information

I have

since

gathered.

The

photographs

have

been lent

me

by

Lt.

Colonel

Newen-

ham,

of

the

2nd

Battalion of the

Royal

Fusiliers,

with

which

regiment,

together

with

the ist

Battalion of

the

Lancashire

Fusiliers,

circumstances

brought

me

most

in

contact.

I wish

time

had

allowed

me

to

collect

others

illustrating

other

regiments.

I

am

greatly

indebted

to

Lt.

Colonel

Newenham

of

the

Royal

Fusiliers,

and

Major

Farmar,

formerly

of

the

86th

Brigade

Staff,

for the

valuable

accounts

of



FOREWORD

ix

the

landings

on "X

"

and

"

Y

"

beaches,

and the sub-

sequent

operations,

they

have

sent

me.

I

can

only

feel how

inadequate

the

whole

account

is.

So

much

more

might

be

said

which

time

and

opportunity

make it

impossible

to

say.

Some

may

appear

to have

been

signalled

out

for

special

mention,

while

many

others,

whose

deeds

are

equally

worthy

of

record,

are

passed

by

with

barely

recognition.

The

limitations under

which

a

diary

kept

in

the midst

of

such

rapidly

occurring

events

must

labour,

must

be

the

excuse.

I

can

only

hope

that the relations

and

friends

of

those who

took

part

in the

campaign

and

who fell

on

the

Peninsula,

whether

recorded

or

not,

will

feel

that

something,

however

little,

has

been

done to

their

memory.

February

i6,

igi6.



CONTENTS

CHAC.

PAGE

Foreword

.......

^ii

I

In

England

......

i

January

27-March

14,

II

On

Board

Ship

......

17

March

15-27.

III

In

Egypt

.......

25

March

28-Apnl

8.

IV

In

Mudros

Harbour

.....

34

April

9-24.

V

Off Cape Helles

.....

46

April

25-30.

VI

On Cape

Helles

.....

64

May

1-5.

VII

A Three Days'

Battle,

and

After

.

.

78

May

6-14.

VIII

Quieter

Days

......

95

May

15-31.

IX The Battle

of

June

4

.

. . .118

June

1-9.

xi



xii

CONTENTS

CHAP.

PAGR

X

In

Aberdeen Gully

.

. .

.

-130

June

10-27.

XI

The

Battle

of

June

28,

and

After

.

146

June

28-July 14.

XII

MuDROS

Again

.

. .

. .

.162

July

15-August

9.

Postscript

.

.•

.

.

. .

-173

Additional

Chapter

by

Major

H.

M.

Farmar,

D.S.O

175



LIST

OF

ILLUSTRATIONS

H.M.S.

'

IMPLACABLE

'

FIRING,

WITH 2ND

ROYAL

FUSILIERS

IN

BOATS

Frontispiece

PAGB

THE

QUAY,

ALEXANDRIA,

WITH

H.M.T.

'

A—

—

'

. .

17

THE

QUAY

AT

ALEXANDRIA,

WITH KIT BAGS

AND

AM-

BULANCE

.......

26

29TH

DIVISION

CAMP AT

MEX,

NEAR

ALEXANDRIA

.

29

29TH

DIVISION

CAMP AT

MEX

{another

view)

.

.

32

PRACTISING

GETTING

INTO

BOATS FROM H.M.T.

'a

'

IN MUDROS

HARBOUR

. .

. .

-37

BOAT

PRACTICE IN

MUDROS HARBOUR

. . .

41

BOAT

PRACTICE,

MUDROS

HARBOUR,

WITH

TOW OF BOATS

AS AT

LANDING

......

44

"

X

"

BEACH,

WHERE

2ND

ROYAL FUSILIERS

LANDED,

EARLY

IN

MAY

......

50

THE RUSSIAN

CRUISER,

THE

'

ASKOLD

'

GENERAL VIEW

OF

PENINSULA LOOKING TOWARDS

MORTO

I

52

CLIFFS ABOVE

"

X

"

BEACH,

WITH

ROYAL

FUSILIERS,

ON

APRIL

25,

SHORTLY AFTER THE LANDING

. .

55

TOP

OF

"x"

BEACH,

SHOWING

ROYAL

FUSILIERS

SOON

AFTER LANDING

ON

APRIL

25

.

. .

-58

''w"

BEACH

SOME

DAYS

AFTER

LANDING

OF

LANCASHIRE

FUSILIERS

.......

61

xiii



xiv

IJST

OF

ILLUSTRATIONS

PACK

ROYAL fusiliers'

MACHINE

GUNS

IN

CENTRE OF CAPE

HELLES

IN

MAY

......

69

OFFICERS

OF

ROYAL

FUSILIERS,

EARLY

IN

MAY,

IN

CENTRE

OF CAPE

HELLES

......

72

MACHINE-GUN

SECTION OF

ROYAL

FUSILIERS

IN

A

TRENCH

EARLY

IN

MAY

......

85

ROYAL

FUSILIERS

HEADQUARTERS'

MESS ORDERLIES IN

CENTRE

OF

CAPE HELLES

EARLY

IN

MAY

. .

92

HEADQUARTERS'

MESS,

ROYAL

FUSILIERS,

EARLY

IN

MAY,

IN

CENTRE

OF

CAPE

HELLES

....

94

"y"

GULLY

WITH

GURKHA

BLUFF

ON

THE

LEFT,

LEADING

UP THE

CLIFFS

FROM

"

Y

"

BEACH

...

99

CAPTAIN

J

,

ACTING

CO.,

ROYAL

FUSILIERS,

WITH

FIRE TRENCHES

JUST

VISIBLE

BEHIND

. . .

104

MEN

OF

THE

14TH

SIKHS

IN BIG GULLY

. . .110

2ND

LIEUT.

G

AND LIEUT.

MUNDY,

ACTING

ADJUTANT,

KILLED

JUNE

6

.....

.

I25

132

LOOKING

UP

GULLY

RAVINE

....

GULLY

BEACH

AT THE

MOUTH

OF GULLY

RAVINE

NULLAH

ON

SIDE OF

BIG

GULLY,

WITH

ROYAL

FUSILIERS'

RATION

DUMP

.......

162



WITH THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION IN

GALLIPOLI

CHAPTER

I

IN

ENGLAND

(January 27

—

March

14)

Leamington

Spa:

January

27, 1915.

—

I

reached

Leamington,

the

headquarters

of

the

29th Division,

where

I

had been directed

by

the War

Office

to

report

myself

without

delay,

prepared

to

go

immediately

to

the

front,

on

the

evening

of

January

27.

It

was a

great

wrench

tearing

myself

away

from

a

brigade

of

the

New

Army,

to which

I

had

been

attached

shortly

after

my

return from four

years' uninterrupted

work

in

the

north-west

of

Canada.

I

had

dropped,

quite

naturally,

into

my

place

in

the

New

Army.

Among

the

officers there

were

men

preparing

for

Ordination,

men

I

had

been

at

school

and

college

with,

and the

military

life was

no

stranger

for

me than

for

them.

I

had formed

m.any

close

friends,

and was much

interested

in

my

work.

I

was

presiding

at

a

crowded

concert

when

the

telegram

from

the War

Office

was

suddenly

handed

to me.

I

had

been

looking

forward much

to

going

to

France

with

the

regiment.

Without

comment,

but

with

inward

feelings

of

dismay,

I

handed the

telegram

to

B



2

WITH THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

Captain

,

who

was

sitting

beside

me.

Many

nice

things

were said at

the

conclusion,

which made

it

all

the harder for me

to leave. What

was this

2gth

Division

?

Regulars

just

returned

from

India

I

knew

nothing

about the

regular army.

I had

no

soldier

friends.

What

would

they

be like

? I

felt

I

should

be

like

a

fish

out of

water,

and it

was

with

fear and

trepidation

that

I

presented

myself

at

the

Divisional

Headquarters,

on the

evening

of

the

27th,

in

the

big

hotel at

Leamington.

I

met C

,

who

was

to

be

one

of

my

fellow-chaplains,

and

who

hap-

pened

to arrive at

the same

moment

at

the

hotel

entrance.

We were

received

by

Colonel

Percival,

who

had

recently

returned

from

France

to

be

chief of

the

Divisional

Staff.

[Commencement

of

diary,

which

in this

chapter

has

been

largely

abbreviated

as

not

of

general

interest.]

The

War

Office had

not

let

him know we

were

coming.

However,

we

produced

our

papers,

and

he

took

us into

the office

and

gave

us our

railway

vouchers.

(It

is

surprising

the

amount of attention

to

petty

little

details

these

superior

officers seem

to

have

to

give.)

He

also

gave

us

lists

of all the units

composing

the

Division. From

these

it

appeared

that

one

Brigade

was at

Rugby,

another

at

Nuneaton,

and

the

third had not

been formed

yet,

but

would

have its

headquarters

at Stratford-on-Avon.

C

had

an

aunt at

Rugby,

so

decided to

go

there,

while

I

was

to

go

to

Nuneaton,

leaving

the

unformed

brigade

to the

chaplain

who

had

not

yet arrived.

We

went

to

the

Regent

Hotel

for

the

night.

It was the

headquarters

for

the

artillery,

and

swarmed

with

officers.

There

were

ei^ht

batteries

there.

The whole

Division

is from

India,

the

last

regular

Division,

I

gather,

in

England.



IN

GALLIPOLI

3

I

understand

some

units

—

R.A.M.C.,

cavalry,

A.S.C.,

etc.

—

are

Territorial.

We

dined

at

the

hotel,

and

C

went

off

to

see

a

friend,

while

I

wrote

letters

and

felt

a little

bored.

Thursday,

January

28.

—

After

breakfast

I

managed

to

get

into conversation

with

one

or two officers

and

gather

a little

information.

The

artillery

are

fully

equipped,

but

waiting

for

ammunition.

They

seemed

a

splendid

set

of men.

... I

went

to

headquarters

to

see

if

the

Communion

sets

sent

by

the

Chaplain-

General

had

arrived,

and found

them

there.

We saw

the staff

officers,

who

filled

in

our

papers,

and then

to

lunch

at

a

restaurant,

as the

hotel

was

so

expensive

;

then

to

the

train,

where

I

first

saw

C

off

to

Rugby,

going

to

Nuneaton

myself,

and

arriving

shortly

after

4

p.m.

Nuneaton.

—

I

found

my

way

with

some

difficulty

to

the

Brigade

office,

which is

some

way

from

the

station,

in a

large

country

house,

Caldwell

Hall,

on

the

edge

of

the

town.

I

found

a

charming

Brigade-

Major,

Frankland,

who

had

been

informed

of

my

coming

from

Leamington,

had

most

kindly

telephoned

to

the vicar

to

ask

if

he

could

have

me

to

stay,

and

seemed

prepared

to do

anything,

but

very

busy.

1

afterwards

discovered

he had

been

in France

since the

beginning

of

the

war,

but

had

been recalled

to

help

form the

Division.

The

people

here

have

been

most

active

about

soldiers'

clubs.

They

had called

in

the

ubiquitous

Y.M.C.A.,

and

had

three

clubs

started.

The

main

one

is

in

the Conservative

Club,

St.

George's

Hall,

a

magnificent

room

with

a

stage,

in the

centre of the

town,

with a

typical

Y.M.C.A.

man in

charge.

He

took

me

round

to

see two

other

clubs.

They

are

not

very

much

used,

as

the

men

are

pretty

comfortably



4 WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

billeted, and,

having

been

away

from

England

so

long,

appreciate

a

little home

life

very

much.

Friday,

January

29.

—

I

went

and saw

the

Brigade-

Major,

who

had

very kindly telephoned

the

night

before

to the vicar to ask about

me,

and

learnt

more

about

the

composition

of

the 86th

Brigade

and

my

duties.

In

Nuneaton

there are three

battalions

—

the

I

St

Lancashire

Fusiliers,

the

ist

Royal

Dublin

Fusi-

liers,

and

the 2nd

Royal

Fusiliers

—

billeted

in

Stock-

ingford,

a

mining

district

just

outside.

The ist

Royal

Munster

Fusiliers are

at

Coventry.

The

Dublins and

Munsters

are

mainly

R.C.,

but no

chaplain

seems

to

have

been

appointed

yet.

The

L.F.'s

and

R.F.'s

have

the

usual

large

majority

of

nominal

C.

of

E,

I am

supposed

to

be attached

to

the

89th

Field

Am-

bulance,

but

as it

is

mainly

composed

of

Scotch

Pres-

byterians,

I

asked

the

Brigade-Major

if I

could

not

be

attached

to

one

of

the

battalions,

and I

hope

this can

be

managed.

Then

I

went

to

the

L.F.'s

orderly-room

and found

a

charming

adjutant,

who

seemed

prepared

to do

anything

for

me,

and

also to

the Dublins

(who

have

about

120

C.

of

E.),

to

arrange

about

Church

Parade.

. . .

Later,

I

went

to a

concert

in the

St.

George's

Hall.

The

battalions

all

have

their

bands,

but

unfortunately

the

instruments

are

going away

next

week,

as

they

do

not

have

bands at

the

front. The

L.F.'s

band

was

playing

cheery

but

noisy

music.

They

are

to

play

at

church on

Sunday.

A

very

nice,

rather

talkative

corporal

accosted

me

in

a

shop

after-

wards,

and

asked

if

I

was to

be

their

chaplain.

He

gave

me

a

lot

of

useful

information.

He

said

the men

were

not

at

all

religious,

and

I

would

have a

lot

of

disappointments,

but

would

always

find

them

very

civil.

They

did

not

like

going

to church.

They

had

a

splendid

chaplain

in

India

—

a

soldiers'

chaplain,



IN

GALLIPOLI

5

quite

unlike the

English

ones.

He seemed

quite pre-

pared

to

instruct

me,

and

very

pleased

that

I

was

prepared

to

let

him.

These

are

some

of

my

first

impressions.

Regulars

are

very

different

from Kitchener's

Army.

They

seem

exceedingly

smart

and

seasoned

troops,

and

have

an

air

that

there

is

nothing

they

don't

know

about

soldiering.

Of

course

one

feels

that

they

have

in-

herited

an ancient

army

tradition,

and

there

is

not

the

feeling

of

new

ground

to

be

broken

there

was

with

Kitchener's

Army.

It

makes

so much

difference,

feel-

ing

they

are so

absolutely

ready

for

the

front.

I

found

people

friendly

before,

but

nothing

could

exceed the

friendliness

here. There

seems

nothing they

are

not

prepared

to do.

I

can

see

how

my

work

will

be both

easier

and

harder. It

will

run

much more

smoothly,

but

there

will

be

a

great

barrier

of tradition

and

forms

to surmount.

The men seem

to be

very

well

behaved,

but

of course

in

a town

of

this

size there

must

be much

that

is

wrong.

I can

only

say

how

thankful

I

am that

I

do not

come

to them

utterly

green.

I

do

know

a

little

military

terminology

now,

and

understand

a

little

my

way

about.

It

is

all

exceedingly

interesting.

I

don't

think

I

shall

aim at

much

during

our

weeks here

beyond

trying

to

make friends

with as

many

officers

and

men

as

possible.

I

think

there

will

be more

chance

of ancient

traditions

breaking

down

when we

go

out.

Saturday,

January

30.

—

I

spent

the

morning

on

a

route

march

with

the

L.F.'s.

I

went to

the

parade

ground,

when the

Major

came

and

spoke

to

me

;

and

when

they

moved

off,

and

I

fell

to

the

rear,

he sent

for

me

to come

and

march

beside

him

at

the head

of the

battalion,

just

behind

the

band,

and there

I marched

all

the

way.

We had

a

little

guard

of soldiers

round



6

WITH

THE TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

us

to

keep

the

crowd

off.

Different

companies

took

it in

turn

to take

the

lead,

so

I

had an

opportunity

of

talking-

to

different

officers.

They

were

all most

friendly

and

agreeable.

The

Major

was

especially

nice.

He told

me

that

the

ist

L.F.'s

have not seen

service since

the

Crimea,

and

are all

very

keen to

get

out.

They

have

been

a

very long

time

in

India.

They

feel the cold

rather,

but

are

getting

acclimatized.

A

huge

band

of

about

seventy

instruments

went

before

us,

and

I

enjoyed

the music much

more out

of

doors.

It

certainly

makes

a

difference

to

marching.

I

tried

my

new

patent

boots,

and found

them

on the

whole

very

satisfactory.

The

officers

took

much interest

in

them.

I

talked

a little with

the

regimental

sergeant-

major.

He

had

been to

Aldershot

to

see

his

wife,

and

had

seen

the

review

of

Kitchener's

Army

when

the

French Minister was

there,

and

was

very

much

im-

pressed

by

the

men.

I

was

pleased

to

hear

this,

as

I

could not

help

contrasting

the

regulars

with

the

Kitcheners,

unfavourably

to

the

latter.

These

are

splendid

troops

here,

such a

magnificent physique.

I

enjoyed

the

march

much,

and

hope

to

go

for

more.

Sunday,

January

31.

—

After

breakfast

a

motor-car

came

for

me

and

took

me

to

the

Stockingford

Church,

where

the

R.F.'s

were

parading

at

ten

o'clock. It

was

my

first

military

parade

with

regulars.

The band

provided

the

music,

and

also

the choir.

The whole

service

was

done

with

the

most

exact

precision.

A

Major

read

the

lessons. One

felt

they

had been

doing

it

for

years,

just

the

same. The vicar took

the service.

I

asked

that

no

ladies

should

be

present.

However,

I

saw some

girls

in

the

gallery

with the soldiers.

Fortunately,

they

were

ejected

before

the

sermon.

I

only

preached

for seven

minutes.

I told

the

men

I

knew little about them

and

the

place,

and had

only



IN GALLIPOLI 7

heard

good.

But

I

said that the

women

and

girls

were

having

a

very

difficult time

during

the war.

They

had never

had

military

in

the

place

before,

and

were

naturally

very

excited,

and

thought

a

lot

of

the

soldiers who

had

just

come

from

India

and

were

going

so soon

to

the front.

I

asked the

men

to

do

all

they

could

to

help

the

girls,

sd that the

memory they

left

behind

them should

always

be

of

the

good they

had

done

during

their

stay.

But

I

am

afraid the

men

do

not like

Church

Parade.

Very

few

go

to

Evensong,

and

I

have

not

heard of one

going

to

a

Celebration.

Theirs is

a

strange

religion.

I held

a

service

in

the

evening

in

the

St.

George's

Hall. There

were

very

few men

there,

mostly

R.C.,

I

think,

and

they

did

not

sing

the

hymns,

and

seemed

very

loath to

stand,

and

I

had

to

realise

they

were

very

different

from

Kitchener's

Army.

Individually,

I

must

say

I find

them

very

nice,

very

civil

and

easy

to

talk to.

But

I

feel

quite

at

sea

as to

how

to do

any

direct

religious

work with

them,

and

almost

inclined

not

to

attempt

any,

but

just

to

try

and

get

to know

them.

Monday.

February

i.

—

I

went

a

long

route

march

with the Dublins in

the

morning,

about

twelve miles.

The

Colonel

rode

part

of

the

way,

but

walked

a

good

deal,

and was

very

pleasant,

and talked

away

quite

a

lot.

Many

of the

officers are

very

pleasant,

but

I

don't

feel

they

very

much

care whether one exists or

not.

After

all,

why

should

they

?

Again

I

marched

just

behind

the

band,

and

enjoyed

the music. It

is

very

amusing

watching

whole

villages

turn out

to

see

us

and

the

general

excitement we arouse.

Tuesday, February

2.

—

Mrs.

told

me

she

had

heard

stories

of soldiers

leaving

their billets

at

late

hours

to

meet

girls

in back

streets,

so

I

decided

to



8

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

investigate

a

little on

my

own.

...

At

10.30

p.m.

1

went for an

hour's

walk

along

a

path

by

the canal.

It

was

a

lovely moonlight night,

but

I

saw

no

one

there,

and

found

a

few

soldiers

behaving

quite

orderly

in

the

streets,

in

one or two cases

with

girls,

but

quite

openly.

I

find

they

are

allowed

out

till

midnight.

One

of

the other vicars

has

since told me

that

he has

been

out three

nights,

but saw

nothing.

I

am

very

glad,

as now

I

feel able

to

contradict

a lot of

the

reports

going

about.

The

men

seem

to be

behaving

very

well.

Thursday,

February

4.

—

.

. .

After

lunch

I

bicycled

to

Stockingford

and

saw

the

Adjutant

of

the

R.F.'s,

and went

round

with him a

little,

and

then

bicycled

on to

Arbury

Park,

a

large

place,

where one

of

the

companies

was

trench-digging.

The

R.F.'s are

all

Cockneys,

mostly

from

the

East

End of London

—

such

a

contrast to

the

L.F.'s.

They

are smaller

men,

but seem

very tough.

They

never

stop

talking

and

joking.

It

might

pall

in

peace-time,

but I

think would

be

very

suitable

to

the trenches.

They

were

digging

in

awful

mud,

and

bailing

the

water

out

of the trenches

with

pails.

They

all

seem

very

comfortable

in their

billets,

and

the soldiers'

club is

being

closed

up

there,

as

it

is

not

used.

This

billeting

makes it

exceedingly

difficult to

see

the

men

or

do

anything

with

them.

Friday,

February

5.

—

Went to

Coventry.

One of

my

battalions,

the

Munsters,

is

there.

I

went

to

the

orderly-room

and

found

they

had over 200

Anglicans,

but

had

not

yet

been to Church

Parade,

and

the

Adjutant asked

me

to

arrange

one.

.

. .

The

South

Wales Borderers

are also

there,

and,

though

not

in

my

brigade,

I

went

to

arrange

a

parade

for them.

They

are

back

from

Tsing-Tau,

where

they

were

for eleven

days

in

terribly

muddy

trenches,

but

only

lost

fourteen



IN

GALLIPOLI

9

men,

and

have

brought

back

practically

all

their

wounded,

who

have

recovered.

. .

.

Saturday,

February

6.

—

I

went

to

the

89th

Field

Ambulance

headquarters

and

found

a

very

nice

Colonel,

and

arranged

about

my being

attached to

them.

They

are all

Presbyterian.

I

gathered

a

R.C.

padre

had been

appointed.

Sunday,

February 7.

—

...

I

had

supper

with

Dr.

. He

told

me there

had

been

thirty

soldiers

married at

the

registrar's

office.

However,

when

we

inquired

we found there

had

only

been

nine

licences

issued;

most of

the men

being

married

at

the R.C.

Church.

Things

do

get

so

exaggerated.

Monday,

February

8.

—

...

I

went to the

club

and

talked to

the men.

They

are

so

nice

to

talk to.

C

finds

just

as

I

do,

that

practically

none

go

to

Com-

munion.

I

am

trying

to

discover

if

there

are

any

C.E.M.S.

men,

or

men

belonging

to

any

religious

society,

but

hitherto

have been

unsuccessful.

They

all

seem to

have had

any

individuality

crushed

out

of

them

by

army

discipline.

They

confess

this,

and

say

themselves that it

is useless ever

calling

for

volunteers

to

do

anything.

They

must

always

be detailed.

I

am

trying

to

get

up

a

concert,

and the men

have

to

be

detailed

in

regimental

orders

in

order to

come

to

rehearsals.

They

don't mind

being

detailed,

but

won't

come

unless

they

are.^ But

they

are

charming

men,

so

civil

and

clean

and

orderly.

I

don't

think

I

have heard

an

oath

yet,

and others

say

the same.

I

hear

nothing

definite

about

our

departure

yet,

and

they

seem

quite

leisurely

about

completing

equipment.

Thursday,

February

11.

—

A

dull

day.

The main

excitement

was that

I

heard over

the

telephone

from

^

These remarks

express

a somewhat

crude

first

impression,

largely

modified

by subsequent

experience.



10 WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

the

R.A.M.C.

sergeant-major

that

my

batman

had

arrived.

I

had

to

explain that,

as I

was

from

Kitchener's

army,

I

did

not

know

what

a

batman

was.

Perhaps

he

could

send

it

over

by

an

orderly.

It

turned

out

it

was

my

servant,

sent

specially

from

the

A.S.C,

from

the

other

end

of

England

somewhere,

to

look

after

me.

I

am

glad

the

Government

takes

such

care

of the

chaplains.

Friday,

February

12.

—

This

morning

I

went

on a

great

brigade

route

march.

The

whole

brigade

turned

out,

with all

their

transport.

It

was

a

lovely

day,

and

a

fine

sight.

We

went

fourteen

miles,

and

did

not

get

back

till

three o'clock.

The

Munsters

joined

us

from

Coventry

for

part

of

the

way.

I

timed

the

whole

column

as

it

passed

a

certain

point,

and

it

took

twenty-

five

minutes.

I

talked

to

different

officers

on

the

way,

and

found

them all

very

pleasant.

Tuesday,

February

16.

—

I

went

to

a

dinner

party

given

to

the

senior

Dublin

officers

by

Mr.

T

,

a

wealthy

mill-owner on

whom

the

Colonel is

billeted.

The

General

and

Brigade-Major

and

about

sixteen

Dublin

officers

were

there.

The

General

was

pre-

viously

in

command

of

a

territorial

brigade,

but is

very

pleased

to

be

here,

and

enthusiastic

about

the

men.

We

had

much

to

eat

and

drink,

and

toasts

at

the

end.

I

was

made

to

sit

in

the

place

of

honour at

the

head

of

the

table.

They

were

all

very

charming

to

me.

Certainly

the

regular

officer

is

very

easy

to

get

on

with.

They

started

a

great

discussion

at

my

end of

the

table

about

compulsory

Church

Parade. I

was

very glad

to

find

the

majority strongly

in

favour

of

its

being

voluntary,

and

firmly

convinced

that

if

only

the

men

liked

the

padre

they

would

come.

The

Colonel

made

me

play

auction

bridge

afterwards,

and

they

were

very

nice

when

I

rather

demurred

about

playing



IN

GALLIPOLI

11

for

money,

and let me

off.

It

was

a

very

pleasant

evening,

and a

good

way

to

get

to

know the

officers.

Wednesday,

February

17.

—

.

.

.

Father

Finn,

the

R.C.

chaplain,

came

to

see

me

and

seemed

very

pleasant.

I went to

a

room

where the

L.F.'s have

lectures

for

the

men.

The

officer

who

was

to

lecture

had

so bad

a cold that

he

said he

could not.

So

I

offered

to

tell

them about the

Canadian

contingent,

and

he

jumped

at

it. The Lancashire men are

very

quiet,

and

sat

perfectly

stolid

while

I

tried to tell

them

why

it was so

difficult

to

get

the kind of

discipline

among

Canadians

the

English regulars

are

used

to.

We

know

nothing

of

our

movements

yet.

Thursday, February

25.

—

The

Divisional General

suddenly

decided to have

an

inspection.

The orders

had

to

be

given

out

as

late

as

i

a.m.

that

morning,

and

the

bugle

roused the

majority

(but

not

me)

at

5

a.m.

I

rode

out

after

them,

and

got

to

the

saluting-base

as

our

brigade

passed.

The

87th

Brigade

from

Rugby

was

out

too,

but

I

did not

see

them.

So was the Field

Ambulance,

for the first

time,

and

I

took

my right

place

on

the column with the Colonel. The

Divisional

General

is

Major-General

Shaw.^

He

was a

Brigadier

at

the

beginning

of

the

war,

but he was

wounded,

and

has

been

laid

up

some

weeks since

Christmas. The

Brigadier

is General

Hare.

His

staff

say

it is a

privilege

to

work with

him,

and the

Colonels

speak

highly

of

him.

So

w-e

are

very

fortunate.

In

the

evening

I

went

to

rather

a

poor

concert

in

the

hall.

I

had

secured

the

R.F.'s

band for

the next

evening,

but

had no

singers.

So

I

went

off

to

a local music-hall

whose

manager

had

promised

to

help

me

if

I

wished,

^

On

the

day

of

the

royal

inspection

Major-General

Shaw

handed

over the Division to

Major-

General

Hunter-Weston.



12 WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

and he

took

me

round

behind the

scenes,

where

I

inter-

viewed a

coy

and buxom

woman

who

sang

patriotic

songs,

in

her

dressing-room,

and

a

blind man who

played

the

concertina,

and

they

both

promised

to

come

round

and

help

between

their

turns.

Friday,

February

26.

—

I

went to

a

piece

of

ground

where

the L.F.'s

were

digging

trenches,

and

the

Colonel

carried

me off while he

distributed

sixty-four

beautiful wrist-watches

to

the

men

who

had

made

the

best

scores

shooting,

and then

to

inspect

the

transport

and

horses

and

the

wonderful

travelling

kitchens

which

cook meals

on

the

march,

and the

water-carts

which

have

a

filtering

arrangement

attached

which

makes

it

possible

to

use

any

water.

In

the

evening

came

my

concert. The R.F.'s band

played

beautifully,

and

the

lady

from

the music-hall

made

a

tremendous

hit

with

patriotic

songs.

She

had no

voice,

but

boundless

cheek,

and

made

the

men

sing

choruses,

and

finally

made a

touching

little

speech

wishing

them

the best

of luck. The blind man

also had

a

great

reception,

and

played

the

concertina

beautifully,

and it was

quite

one

of

our

most successful

concerts.

Monday,

March

i.

—

In

the afternoon

I

rode

off

to

join

the

R.F.'s,

who

were

going

out

for

the

night.

When

I

joined

them

the

Colonel told

me

they

were

going

to billet in a

neighbouring village,

and

said

I

could

come,

and

the

Adjutant

said

he

had

a

billet

for

me.

So

I

tore

back

for

some

kit,

and

soon

rejoined

them.

We

went

to

Wolvey,

a

little

village

of

600

people,

five

miles out.

We were

greeted

on arrival

by

the

church

bells

pealing.

I

was billeted with two

other

officers

in

the

vicarage,

and

slept

on

a

sofa.

I

attended

a

conference

of

officers

in

the

evening,

which

was

very

interesting.

The General

came

out

to

see

the

billeting,

and I

had a

nice

talk

with him.

The



IN

GALLIPOLI

13

men were

put

in

schools and barns

and

empty

houses^

650

in all.

I

looked

into

the schools

after

they

had

gone

to

bed,

and could

not

see

the

floor for

men.

The

windows

were

all

shut,

and

they

were

mostly smoking,

so

you may

imagine

the

state

of

the

atmosphere.

However,

they

were

very happy.

Next

morning,

at

8.

15,

as

many

as

possible

packed

into

the

church,

and

we

had

a

delightful

little

service taken

by

the

vicar.

Then

we went

off

on

outpost

duty,

and

while

I

was

waiting

about

the

Colonel

sent

for

me,

and

we

had

a

lovely

ride

all

round

the

country inspecting

the

outposts.

I

walked

most

of

the

way

back,

and

this

time

made

friends with a

number

of

the

men.

They

are

very easy

to

get

on

with,

and

are

always

cheery

and

laughing.

If

they

pass

me

on

the

march now

they

usually

call

out

good-morning

or

good-afternoon,

and

this

afternoon

I

heard

one

say,

"Now

then

all

together,"

followed

by

a

chorus of "Good

day,

sir."

We

are now

fully

equipped

and

ready

to

start,

and

may

be called

up

any

moment.

However,

nothing

is

known.

Coventry:

Saturday,

March

6.

—

After

many

orders

and

counter-orders

we

were

told

the

brigade

was

to

move

to

Coventry.

I

rode off

with

pack

and

haver-

sack,

saddle-bags

and

pouches,

in full

marching

order.

I

joined

the

headquarters

transport,

and

rode

with a

staff-officer

and

the

veterinary

surgeon

all

along

the

tram-lines.

The

transport

horses were

very lively.

I

was

again

billeted

on

the

vicar,

where

I was

exceed-

ingly

comfortable.

Captain

and

Mrs.

F

are here.

He is

stafF-captain.

Sunday,

March

7.

—

My

servant

at last

turned

up.

He

had

been

thoroughly

incompetent,

and

had lost

my

luggage

in

the

transport,

and

seemed

quite

incapable

of

tackling

a new

situation.

I

took

a

delightful

parade



14 WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

service

in

the

magnificent

St.

Michael's

Church,

nearly

all

the

R.F.'s and their

officers

being

present,

and

also some

of

the

Munsters.

Afterwards

I

went

to the

brigade

office

and

saw

F

,

who

told

me

orders

had

arrived

practically

pointing

to our

going

to

the

Dardanelles.

Everyone

is to

be

measured

for

helmets,

and

heavy

draught

horses are to

be handed in.

Monday,

March

8.

—

I

went

up

to

London to

see

the

Chaplain-General

and

get

books

for

the

Dardanelles.

I

also

ordered

Gospels

from

the

Scripture

Gift

Office.

I

stopped

off

at

Rugby

on

the

way

back

and

saw

C

,

and

discussed the new

move.

I

do

hope

it

is

the

Dardanelles.

It is

about

time

we

went

somewhere.

Thursday,

March

1 1

.

—

We had a

big

sham

battle.

Our

brigade,

with

some

artillery,

went

out to attack

a

skeleton

army

of

cyclists holding

a

line on

the

other

side of

the

Avon.

I

rode

out

with

the

R.F.'s.

There

was

the

usual

waiting

about.

At

last

I

got

away

and

rode

ahead,

crossing

the Avon

and

finding

myself

among

the

enemy.

However,

operations

ended

much

sooner than

was

expected,

and

we

got

home

about

3

p.m.

I

heard we

were

to have

an

early

parade

at

7.30

for

the

whole

Division,

but

purpose

and

destina-

tion

were

kept

entirely

secret.

However,

we

all

guessed

it must mean a

Royal Inspection.

Friday,

March

12.

—

I

rode off with

Captain

F

at

7.30.

We

joined

the

R.F.'s,

who

had

started

early,

after a

bit,

and

I

stayed

with

them

most

of

the

rest

of

the

day.

We went

seven or

eight

miles,

and

got

on

to a

fine

road

with a

wide

grass

border

on either

side,

in

which

grew

a

magnificent

avenue

of

elms

and

oaks.

Every

side

road was

blocked

by

a

policeman,

but

the

whole

thing

had

been

kept

so secret

there

was

practically

no

one

about.

At last the

order

came to

halt,

and

we

all

drew

up

in

a

long

line,

four

deep,

on



IN GALLIPOLI 15

one

side

of the

road

under

the

trees. The whole

line

must

have stretched

three

or four miles.

After

a

longish

wait the

men

were called

to

attention,

and

a

little

cavalcade

of

stafT-officers

came

riding

down

the

road

through

the

trees,

with

the

King

at

their

head.

I sat

on

my

horse

just

between

the

R.F.'s

and the

Munsters.

The

Colonel

of

the

R.F'.'s was beside

me,

and,

as did

all

the

Colonels,

walked

down the

line

of

his

regiment

with

the

King.

The

King

seemed

very

much

interested.

No

one

had been

told

officially

he was

coming.

Then,

after

another

long

wait,

the

march

past

started. Our

brigade

simply

marched

past

in fours.

I

rode with the

leading

regiment

of

the

leading

brigade.

The

King

and

his staff

were

at

a

cross

road,

some

way

down.

After we had

passed

I

broke off and

got

among

the little crowd that

had

collected.

It

was

wonderful

seeing

the

long

line

of

silver

bayonets winding

through

the trees

like

a

stream.

It

seemed

quite

endless

watching

12,000

infantry

pass.

Unfortunately,

I

missed

the

artillery

and

other

divi-

sional

troops,

as

they

had

passed

ahead

of us. There

must

have

been

18,000

men

altogether.

It

seemed

vast,

and

the

men

were

magnificent.

The

King

has

sent

us a

very

nice

little

message.

Saturday,

March

13.

—

My

servant

appeared

with a

telegram saying

his

wife was

very

ill,

which

had been

accepted

by

the Colonel

of

the

Field

Ambulance

as a

reason

for

his

going

home

for the

night.

So

I

could

say

nothing,

though

I

felt certain it was

a

lie,

and

hardly

expected

to

see him

next

day.

Meanwhile,

orders

had

gone

out that we

were to

leave

next

day.

I

received official

instructions,

marked

secret,

about

all

I

was

to

do.

I

was

fortunate

in

being

billeted

with

the

Staff-Captain,

who

had

all

arrangements

in

hand,

as

he made

every

provision

for

my

comfort.

So

I



16

WITH

THE TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

bicycled

down to

the

R.F.'s,

to whom

I

was

to

be

attached

for

the

journey.

I

had

hoped

to have Church

Parade

next

morning,

but

the

Colonel and

Adjutant,

though

they

would

have

liked

it,

asked

me

not

to,

as

so

many

of

the

men

would

be

bicycling

back

to

Nun-

eaton

to see their

friends

and

sweethearts,

that

they

would

be

left with

a

tremendous

list

of

absentees

to

punish

on

the

voyage.

I

went

and

bought

a

box

of

a

hundred

books

for

the

journey,

for

the

men,

which

the

Adjutant

asked

me to

get.

Sunday,

March

14.

—

I

was

called

with

the

news

that

our

departure

had

been

postponed

for

twenty-four

hours.



./•'V'

<

•y.



CHAPTER

II

ON

BOARD SHIP

{March

15

—

27)

March

15.

—

Exactly

a month after

the

day

we

were

to

be

ready

to

leave,

I

made

some

final

purchases

in

the

town,

got

packed,

and

visited

orderly

rooms

in

the

morning.

I

decided to

go

down

early

to

escape

a

crush,

and

travelled with

the

Brigade

Headquarters

Staff

and

the

A.S.C.,

leaving

at

2.40.

Many

farewells,

though

our

departure

at

the

station

was

very

quiet,

as

the

men

had

not

had

time

to

make friends at

Coventry.

What

a

mercy

it is

to be

a

bachelor on these occasions

We

had

a

very

uneventful

journey

down,

reaching

Avonmouth

at

6.40.

The

rest

were

going

on

different

boats,

so

I

made

my

own

way

to the

A

,

which was

to

take

my

own

two

special

regiments,

the

R.F.'s

and

the

L.F.'s.

I

was

the first to

arrive,

and

dined

with

two

embarkation

Majors.

They

said

they

had

already

embarked

the

Naval

Division,

who are

presumably

now

at

the

Dardanelles.

They

had

also

disembarked

recently

3500

Canadians

and

some

Australians,

all

of

whom,

they

said,

had

been

some

of the finest

men

they

had

ever

handled,

and

so

well

disciplined.

This boat

had

had

its last

trip

from

New York.

I

got

to

my

cabin,

very large

and

com-

fortable,

and

waited

for

the

first

train,

which

arrived

about

12.30

a.m.,

and watched them

go

on

board.

I

turned

in about

and

undis-



18

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

turbed,

though

they

kept

arriving

all

night.

I

am the

only

chaplain

on

board,

with

two

whole

battalions

and

a

company

of

the

Munsters.

She

is

a second-class

boat,

but

very

spacious

and

comfortable,

and

we

have

plenty

of room.

Tuesday,

March

i6.

—

Well,

they

continued

to

ar-

rive

all

the

morning,

and

I decided

to

slip away

and

go

to

Bristol

to

buy

a

few

more

things.

It

is

terrible

how

one

goes

on

buying

and

thinking

of

more

things.

I

found

the

Colonel

of

the

Dublins

buying

things.

He

said

his

servant

had

left

all

his

kit

behind

on

the

platform,

and

he

had

to

get

an

entirely

new

outfit.

I

found

every

one

had

arrived

on

my

return,

and

they

v^-ere

wearing

life-belts

and

being

shown

where

to

stand

in case

of

being

torpedoed.

After

lunch

I wandered

off to

the

ship

on

which

the

rest

of

the

Brigade

and

the

General

and

Staff

were

travelling.

It is

a

very

small,

uncomfortable

boat,

and

they

were

very

crowded,

four

officers

in a

tiny

cabin

and

a

miserable

little

dining-

room.

I

asked

the

General

why

he

did not

come

with

the

Staff to

our

boat,

and

he said

he

did

not

like

to

change

now

they

were

actually

starting

on

active ser-

vice.

It

would

hardly

look

well.

When

I

got

back

I

found

the

Depot

chaplain

waiting

for

me. The

Chaplain-General

had

telegraphed

to

him

to

see the

Division

off,

and see

if

we

were

properly

supplied

with

books,

etc. We

had

tea with the General

and

Brigade-Major,

who had

come

over

to visit

us.

1

then

rushed

ofif

with the

chaplain

to see

the

boat

which

was

taking

all

the

transport

and various

odd-

ments,

and

another

taking

the

artillery.

I

found such

a

nice

CO.,

who said he

was

so

sorry

there

was

no

chaplain

on

board,

but

would

be

glad

of

books

and

would

take

services himself.

Then

I rushed back to

my

boat,

which was

hooting



IN

GALLIPOLI

19

preparatory

to

departure.

Four

tugs

came

and

towed

us out

of

the

harbour

through

the

lock,

and we could

see

an

escort

of

three

destroyers

steaming

up

and

signalling.

The

Colonel

ordered

another

life-belt

parade,

and

we

were

slowly

towed

through

the

lock

wearing

these

ridiculous-looking

things.

It

had

been

a

lovely

afternoon,

perfectly

calm.

Everything

was

quite

quiet

as we went

out.

In

the

lock the

chaplain

threw

a lot

of

little

pamphlets

from

the

Chaplain-

General

on

board

for the

men.

Then

we

all

went

down

to

supper,

where

I

sat

at

a

table

with the

L.F.'s

officers.

Nearly every

one

went

to

bed

pretty

early

as

they

had

all

been

up

the

night

before.

We

were

all

expecting

to

anchor outside

and

wait

for the

other

boats

to

load

up,

but

to our

surprise

we

did

not

stop.

We

were

on

the

first

boat

of

the

whole

Division

to

leave.

Very

strict orders

were

given.

No

lights

were

allowed.

We

had to

sleep

in

our

clothes

with

life-belts

at

hand.

At

10.30

I

went on

deck.

It

was

very

dark.

The

boat

was

steaming

ahead in

per-

fect

darkness

and

silence.

I

could

just

dimly

make

out the

form of

a

destroyer

accompanying

us

with no

lights.

It

was

very mysterious.

It

was

very

uncom-

fortable

sleeping

in

my

clothes.

The

officer

sharing

my

cabin

had

to

go

on

guard

at

midnight.

We

heard

afterwards

that

a submarine

had

been

sighted

by

one

of

the

destroyers.

And

still

no

transport

has

been

sunk

as

yet,

and the

Navy

carries

on

the

constant trans-

port

of

men

and

munitions

through

all

the

submarines.

The

absolute

secrecy

and

stealthiness of

it all is

wonderful.

Wednesday,

March

17.

—

We

woke

to

an

absolutely

calm

morning

and no

destroyers.

Our

only

protec-

tion

now

lies

in

the

machine-guns

which

have been



20

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

We

all

have

drill

with life-belts.

This

afternoon

I

was

vaccinated,

talked to

the

men,

saw about

distribut-

ing

books,

and

arranged

about

holding

voluntary

meetings

for

the

two

regiments

during

the

evenings.

This

will

be

quite

an

experiment.

Thursday

to

Monday,

March

i8

to

22

—

Nothing

much

is

gained

by keeping

a

chronological

record

of

a

voyage,

as

each

day

is

much the same.

The

weather

has

been

perfect, absolutely

calm,

warm but fresh.

The boat

is

exceedingly

comfortable

without

being

luxurious

(it

is

a second-class

boat).

The

food

is

quite

good

and

plentiful.

There

is

plenty

of room

in

cabins,

saloons

and

on

the

decks.

Life

on

a

troopship

is

wonderfully

orderly

and

smooth.

Everything

follows

a

carefully

arranged programme.

I

usually

am

up

by

7.

I5>

when

the

officers

of one

regiment

do

physical

drill

and

I

join

them.

It

made

me

most

frightfully

stiff

for

a

while,

but

I

am

getting

over

it

now.

Then

there

are

rounds

at

10.30,

when

the

Colonels

inspect

their

battalions

and

the

Captain

goes

round

his

ship,

followed

by

drill and

probably

a

lecture

for

the

officers,

which

I

sometimes attend.

In

the

afternoon,

boat

drill

and

all

kinds

of

inspection

of kit

and

issuing

various

things,

and

occasionally

examinations

for

the

officers. In

fact

the

day

goes

very

quickly.

Supper

at

7

p.m.,

and then

I

begin,

first

going

to one

regiment

at

7.30

and

then

another

at

8.15

to

9.

I

was

quite

amazed at the

way

the

men

responded

and the crowds

that came.

They

love

singing hymns,

and

I

discourse

to

them

about

all

kinds

of

things, telling

them

a little

Turkish

history

sometimes.

I

am

practically

always

followed

by

X

,

a

very

genuine

man

and

simply

overflowing

with

zeal. He does

not

mind

what he

says

or who

he

says

it to.

He told his

Colonel that

if

any

ticklish

job

had

to be

done he

had

better choose



IN GALLIPOLI

21

him,

as

he

was

perfectly

ready

and

none of

the

others

were.

The

Colonel

is

an

exceedingly

strict and devout

R.

C.

He

is

a

most

charming

and

interesting

man,

and

his

whole

regiment

thinks

very

highly

of

him.

He

is

well read

and

extremely unassuming,

and

delightful

to

talk to.

Very

strict

on

parade.

Frightfully

keen

on

his

work,

especially

the

managing

of

men. Fore-

most

among

the

admirers

is X

,

despite

the fact

that

the

Colonel

is an

R.C.

But

X

discovered

that

he sent

a

subscription

to

the

Salvation

Army

on

leaving

India,

and

this

impressed

him

tremendously.

I

don't

think he cares much

for the Church.

One of

the

regimental

doctors is much

perturbed

about

the

Church,

finds

it

perfectly

dead

and

dogmatic

and

disunited.

So

there is

much

talk.

I

cannot

say

that

the

Church

seems

to

raise

much

enthusiasm

among

the

officers.

The

men are

really

just

like

so

many

children.

They

have

been

writing

reams

of

mawkish

sentimental letters

to

the

Nuneaton

girls,

which

the

officers

have

had

to

censor.

I

don't know

of

a

single

man

who

thought

of

buying

a

book

or

magazine

for

the

journey.

And

now

they

hang

round

when

not

drilling,

longing

for

something

to read.

Fortunately,

I

bought

some

books

before

leaving,

but

they

have

not

gone

round

far.

They

behave

extremely

well,

give

no

trouble,

and

are

perfectly

docile. You

very

rarely

hear

them

slanged

by

either

officers or

N.C.O.'s.

They

take

everything

for

granted

as

it

comes

along,

grumbling

a

little

and

longing

to be

back

with

Susy

or

May

in

Nuneaton.

They

are

always

very

friendly

and

responsive.

The

tone

among

the

officers

seems

very high,

and

they

strike

me

as a

nice,

clean-living,

straightforward,

moderate

lot of men.

One or

two

are

quite

intelligent

and

have

interests

outside

the

army,

but

the

younger



22

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

ones

are

mostly

interested

in

sport,

etc.

None

of

them

put

the

least

bit

of

side

on,

and

they

all

work

hard

at

their

jobs

and

have

a

strong

sense

of

responsibility.

On

Sunday

I

had

a

Celebration, four

parade

ser-

vices,

and

a

voluntary

evening

service.

Every

week-

day

I have

two

voluntary

services

for

the

men

and

one

for

the

officers.

I

also

visit the

men

in

hospital.

Tuesday,

March

23.

—

At

noon

we

arrived at Malta

after

a

very

quick voyage

of

six

and

a

half

days.

A

French

destroyer

was

protecting

the

entrance to

the

harbour,

and

an

examination

boat

came

to

ask us

who

we were

and

whither bound.

After

a

good

deal

of

signalling

to

the

shore

and

waiting

we

were allowed

to

go

into the

harbour

and moor.

Valetta is

a wonder-

fully

picturesque

place,

and the

harbour

is

very

inter-

esting,

landlocked on

all

sides,

with

houses

clustering

on

hills

and

rocks

all

round.

Valetta

has

all

been

built

of

stone

quarried

from

the

rock

on which

it

stands,

and is

capped

with massive

fortifications

of

the

old

Knights

of

Malta. There

are

many

huge

buildings

and

everything

is

solid.

It

suggested

many

sketches.

Crowds

of boats

put

out

from shore

and

sold

things

to

the

soldiers.

I

was

the

first to

go

ashore,

thinking

our

stay

would

be

short.

I

went

to

three

Soldiers'

Homes

and

collected

bundles of

literature

for the

men,

and

then

to

the

Junior

A.

and

N.

Stores

to

buy

one

or

two

things.

The

town

is most

interesting.

The

flocks of

goats

are

very

quaint.

The

streets

are

ex-

tremely

narrow.

The

women

wear

a

quaint

head-dress

rather

like a

large

black

nun's veil

caught

up

on

one

side.

I

believe

it

was

ordered

by

the

Pope

as a

penance

for

their

conduct

with the

French

soldiers

when

Napo-

leon took

Malta.

^

The

whole

place

is

dominated

by

^

Subsequent

inquiry

makes

it

probable

that this

is

not

the

correct

explanation.



IN

GALLIPOLI

23

the

Church,

which is

very

powerful.

I

went over

the

Cathedral,

which

is

supposed

to

be

very

fine,

but

too

gaudy

for

me. Some

of

the

courtyards

with

trees

growing

up

from

the

paved

courts are

very

pictur-

esque.

I

had tea

in

a

shop

and

then

returned

to

the

boat for

dinner,

to

find we were

going

to

spend

the

night

there.

So

practically

all

the officers

went

to

the

opera.

It

was

a

special

performance

of

Faust.

I

went

with

six

others

in a

large

central box

just

under

the

box

of

the

Governor,

Lord

Methuen,

who

was

there.

Faust

and

Mephistopheles

were

very good,

and

so

was

the

orchestra,

but chorus bad.

However,

I

enjoyed

it.

Afterwards we went

to

the

Club,

a

mighty

palace

of

the

Knights,

had

supper

and

got

back at

1.30.

Wednesday,

March

24.-

—

Our

departure

w^as

again

postponed.

Several

other

transports

arrived.

I

spent

most

of

the

day

with

one

of

the

doctors

exploring

the

town,

and

we

poked

about

and

saw

many

interesting

things.

The

guard-room

opposite

the

governor's

palace

is all

"covered with

pictures painted

on

the

walls

by

different

officers who

have

been

on

guard

throughout

the

English

occupation,

and is rather

amusing.

We

went

over

fortifications,

into various

churches,

one

of

which

is all

decorated

with

bones

and

skulls,

saw

the

old

hospital

with

a

huge

ward

five hundred

feet

long,

which

is

being got

ready,

and

various

other

places.

We lunched

at

the

club

and

had tea

in

a

shop,

and

got

back to

the

boat

for dinner.

I

have

not

written

my diary

for

ages.

However,

I

must

try

and

make up

now.

Thursday,

March

25.

—

We

left Malta

early,

about

7

a.m.,

and

were out of

sight

of land

all

day.

Friday,

March

26.

—

In

the

afternoon

sighted

south

of

Greece,

and

had

an

exciting

time

at

sunset as

we

rounded the southern

cape,

Malea,

going

between it



24

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

and

the

little

island

of

Cerigo.

Just

as

it

was

getting

dusk

we

suddenly

sighted

the

French

navy

right

be-

hind

a little

island.

Two

destroyers

came

out to

have

a

look

at

us

and

cheered

very

heartily.

Our

men

are

very

slow to

answer

cheers

and

usually

look

on

gaping.

Then

we

all

went down to

supper,

and of

course

every

one

was

asking

how it

was

the

French

navy

was

al-

lowed

to

shelter

in

a Greek

bay.

We

were

going

very

slowly

and

would

be

passing

through

islands

all

night.

It

was a

lovely

night.

Of

course

we

were

all

very

much

wondering

where

we

were

going

and

what

was

going

to

happen.

The

ship

was

to

be

guarded

the

whole

night by

men

all

round

the

decks,

who

were

to

be on

the

look-out,

as

far

as

we

could

understand,

for

friendly

French submarines.

There

was

to

be

absolute

silence.

At

ten

o'clock

I

went

out on

deck,

to be

met

by

an

officer

who said : "Do

you

know we

have

just

turned

right

round and

are

going

back

the

way

we

came

?

"

The

ship

was

also

going

very

much

faster.

Then

a

wireless

message

arrived for

the

Colonel,

and

of

course

we

were all

guessing

and

wondering

what it

all

meant when

we

heard we

were

to

go

to

Alexandria

at

once.

More

guessing.

I

felt

sure

there

must

be

trouble

in

Egypt.

There

was

every

possible

suggestion

made.

We

coasted

along

the

northern

shore

of

Crete,

always

lovely

weather.

Saturday,

March

27.

—

Made

across

open

sea

ro

Alexandria.



CHAPTER

III

IN

EGYPT

(March

28—

April

8)

Sunday,

March

28

(Pahn

Sunday).—

Reached

Alex-

andria

about

10 a.m.

I had

a

Celebration

at

7

a.m.

and

parade

services

in

morning

and

afternoon

as

before,

four

altogether,

and

a

voluntary

service

at

night.

It

appeared

that

Lemnos

was

an

impossible

base,

no

proper

harbour,

no

water,

and

that

things

were

not

ready

for a

landing.

We

were to

concentrate

at

Alexandria.

I

rushed

down

town

with

an

officer

in

the

late

afternoon.

Alexandria

is

a

huge

place,

with

a

mighty

harbour

simply

full of

shipping.

There

were

a

number of

German

prize

boats

and

an

Ameri-

can

battleship

;

also

many

French

transports

with

Zouaves,

etc.,

on

board.

The town

swarmed

with

soldiers

of

every

possible

kind.

It

was

some

way

to

the centre

of

the

town,

but we

got

on

a

tram

and

went

to

a

mighty

square,

with

fine

buildings

all

round.

I

was

especially

taken

with

St.

Mark's

Church,

built

in

a

very

effective

Moorish

style

and

very

cool inside.

I

leave this

as

I

wrote

it.

Subsequently

we

found

what

a

magnificent

harbour

Mudros

(Lemnos

island)

offered.

I

believe

that

there

had

recently

been

a

violent

gale,

and

that

some

of

the

ships

had

dragged

their

anchors,

which

may

account for

the

reports

we

heard.

Considering

the

difficulty

of

operations

it

was

an

exceedingly

suitable

place

for

an

intermediate

base,

25



26

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

as

it

subsequently

became.

Alexandria,

of

course,

was

the

base.

The water

difficulty

was

got

over

by

the

ships

bringing

water,

and

later

by

the

erection

of

a

plant

for

distilling

water

from

the

sea.

Monday,

March

29.

—

We

had

one

of

those

tedious

days

of

waiting,^

which

seem

so

common

in

the

Army.

The

men

all

got

off the

ship

and

sat on the

quay

till

about

four

o'clock,

doing

absolutely

nothing.

There

seems

to have

been

a

good

deal of

muddle

about

our

coming.

However,

we

eventually

all

started

off

to

the

camp,

about

five

miles

out of

town,

on a

strip

of

desert

between a

salt lake

and

the

sea,

with

salt

piles

and

stone

quarries

around,

at

a

place

called

Mex.

The

camp

was

about

one

and a

half

miles

beyond

the

tram

terminus.

We

found

our

tents,

which

we

had

brought

with

us,

already

pitched.

I

was

given

one to

myself,

and

so

was

very

comfortable. I

messed

with

the

Head-

quarters

mess

of

the

R.F.'s,

i.e.

the

Colonel,

the

Major,

the

Adjutant,

the

machine

gun,

signalling,

and

medical

officers.

We

managed

to feed

very

well.

I

slept

in

my

valise

on

the

ground,

and

got

quite

used

to

it

after a

time.

Tuesday,

March

30.

—

I

went

in to

town

in

the

morn-

ing

with

the

doctor

and

called

on

the

Archdeacon.

I

discovered

the

Bishop

was

about,

and

wanted

to find

out

if

he

would

come

and

hold

a

Confirmation,

also

about

getting

reading

matter,

etc.,

for

the

men.

He

took

me

round

to

the

Soldiers'

and

Sailors'

Institute,

kept

by

Mr.

and

Mrs. D

.

It

was a

fine

big

place.

crowded

with

soldiers of

all

kinds,

who

were

beinp

sent

there

for

their

meals.

They

gave

me

lunch,

and

^

I

remember

a

Major

saying

to

me

at

the time :

"

I

have been

twenty-five

years

in

the

Army,

and

reckon

that

ten

of

them

have

been

spent

in

waiting."



U

2

<

D

2



IN GALLIPOLI

27

in the

afternoon

Mr.

D came

out

to

Mex

with

me

to

see

what we could

do.

Eventually

I

decided

to

try

and

get

a

tent

up.

Where

was

the

money

to come

from?

I

interviewed

the

Brigade-Major

and

he

said

it

would

be

quite

all

right.

Well,

it all involved

a

good

deal

of

running

round

for

the

next few

days

Avhich is

of no

particular

interest.

By

Wednesday

night

I

had

a

huge

native tent

up,

about

looft.

by

36ft.,

made

of

a

kind

of

thick

canvas,

all

beautifully

decor-

ated inside

with coloured

applique

work and lit with

a

large

arc

lamp.

I

borrowed

tables

and benches

from

a

building

close

by.

I

interviewed

all the

Colonels,

and

got

them each

day

to let

me

have

a

transport

wagon

in

turn,

and

two

men

told

off

from each

regi-

ment

to

run it.

For

the

first

two or

three

days

I

had

to

go

in

pretty

well all

day

with

the

sergeant

in

charge,

and

buy

stuff,

pastries

by

the

hundred

dozen,

oranges

and

cigarettes

by

the thousand.

Buying

is not

easy

in

a

strange

town

and

unknown

language

;

but

we

managed pretty

well.

Only

they

were

very

slow.

However

much

we

bought

it

was

impossible

to

keep

pace

with the

demand. We

could

not

open

the

can-

teen till 6

p.m.,

but

everything

was

gone

long

before

nine.

The

men

had

to

be

formed

up

in

a

long

queue

and

file

in

one behind

the

other,

while

I

had

six

or

seven

men

serving

as

hard

as

they

could

go.

I fear

we

lost

money

the

first

day,

as there were

one

or

two

men

helping

I

did not know

about,

but

we

got

a

much

better

system

working

later.

I

got

a

large supply

of

magazines

and

games,

writing-paper,

etc.

The

place

was a

seething

mass

in

the

evenings.

There were

8000 men

encamped

out

there,

and

not

allowed

out

of

camp.

The

contractors'

canteens were small

and

badly

managed by

Greeks,

and

there

was

a

lot

of

confusion.

I

had

a

very

good

staff

to

work it. It

kept



28 WITH THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

me

extremely

busy.

Besides all

this

it

was

Holy

Week.

On

Good

Friday

I

managed

to

go

to

a

nice

quiet

little two-hours'

service

taken

by

the

Bishop

in

St.

Mark's,

and saw

him

after

it,

and

he

promised

to

come

out

one

day.

We

imagined

we

were

probably

going

to have a

prolonged

stay.

I

had

a

delightful

service

on

Good

Friday evening,

when

the

tent

was

simply

packed

with

a

parade

of

the

R.F.'s,

the

L.F.'s

coming

voluntarily.

They

had had

a

long

tiring

day

practising

landing

from

boats.

C

and

D

(chaplains)

had

also

arrived

and

I

saw

something

of

them.

They

stick

with

the Field

Ambulance.

I

have

got

attached

to

the

regiment

temporarily.

I

would

like

to

take

this

opportunity

of

expressing

my

unbounded

admiration for

the

work

done in

Alex-

andria

by

Mr.

and

Mrs.

D .

I

saw a

good

deal

of

them,

not

only

on

this

occasion,

but

subsequently,

when

I

also

stayed

at the Institute.

Men

will be

found

in

every

single regiment

of

the M.E.F.

who will

bear

out

this

testimony.

Mrs.

D

seemed to me

to

exercise

exactly

that

unconscious

and

motherly

in-

fluence

over

our

soldiers,

British,

Australian,

and

New

Zealand

alike,

which

means

so much

to the

men

when

away

from

their homes.

And

it

was

all

done

in

such

a

quiet

and

unobtrusive

way.

Mr.

D

was

inde-

fatigable

in

extending

their

work

to

outlying

camps

surrounding

Alexandria.

They

were

both

of

the

greatest

help

to

me.

Easter

Day,

April 4.

—

I had

Celebrations

at

6.30

and

1 1

(only

about

forty

communicants

altogether)

in

the

tent

which I

shared

with

the

R.C.,

and

parade

service

in

the

open,

when

I

preached

from

a

w-agon.

I

had

a

delightful

voluntary

service

in

the

evening

in

the

tent,

which

was

crammed,

officers

also

coming,

and after

it,

took

the

names of

those

who wished

to

be

confirmed,

forty-six

in

all.

from

the

different

regiments

and

more



1

as

a

<

<

is;

w

i

<^

i

o

XH

ON



IN

GALLIPOLI

29

later.

The

majority

were

from

the

L.F.'s.

I

was

most

surprised

to

find

a

large

number

in

proportion

from

each

of the

Irish

regiments,

where

there

are

only

a few

Anglicans,

and

very

few

from

the

R.F.'s,

which

is,

practically,

entirely

C.

of

E.

There

were three

ser-

geants

among

them.

Well,

the

difficulty

always

is

classes.

You

cannot

arrange

a

time

without

half

the

men

being

employed.

However,

I

settled

I would

have

two

classes

every

day,

at

5.30

and

6.30,

and

that

men

must

come

to

at

least

four

during

the

week,

and that the

Bishop

would

come

the

following

Sunday.

I

held classes

on

Monday

and

Tuesday

and

they

were

splendidly

attended,

and

prac-

tically

the

whole

of

Tuesday

I

sat

in

my

tent

and

saw

the

men

singly,

and

found

them

very

anxious

to

change

their

lives.

Sometimes

it

was

a

girl

they

had

taken

up

with

in

England

that

had

changed

them,

sometimes

our

gatherings

on

board

ship,

sometimes

they

had

for

long

been

anxious to

be

confirmed.

I

found

a

number

had started

to

say

their

prayers

in

the

tents.

In fact

it

was

a wonderful

experience,

and

the

men

were

all

very delightful.

C

had some

candidates

as well.

However,

it

seemed

so

likely

that

we

would

be

off

soon

that

I

decided

to

try

and

get

the

Bishop (who

was

at

Cairo)

earlier.

So

I

telephoned

to

the Arch-

deacon

to

Tuesday,

and

it

was

settled

he

should

be

there

on

Thursday

at

6.30.

And then on

Wednes-

day

we

awoke

to

find

we were

all

off.

Most

of the

regiments

left

that

day.

We

did

not

go

till

Thursday,

but

it made the Confirmation

impossible.

However,

I was

very glad

to

have made

the start

and have

all

the

men's

names

down.

From

the

point

of

view

of

my

work

as

chaplain,

our

stay

at Mex

was

quite

one

of

my

most

wonderful



30

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

experiences.

The

whole

brigade

was

in

camp

close

together.

I

had

a

huge

tent

to

meet

the men

in,

besides

the

continual

opportunity

of

going

round

the

tents of

officers

and

men

alike.

It

was

perfect weather,

and

the

men

did

not

have

much

to

do and

were

not

allowed

out of

camp.

I

got

to

know

so

many

of

the

men

so

well

individually,

and

they

came

to

me

quite

freely.

And

the

officers

simply

made

me feel

I

was

one of

them.

I

shall

never

forget

the

Confirmation

Classes.

We

sat

in

a

circle

on

the

sand

just

outside

the

big

tent.

The

only

light

was

the

new

moon

and

an

electric

torch I

had

to

help

me

write

the

men's

names

down.

I

was

greatly

surprised

at

the

regularity

with

which

they

came

and

the

quietness

with

which

they

listened.

It

was

a

great disappointment

to

them

that

the

Confir-

mation

could

not

be held.

But,

of

course,

I

told them

that the

blessing

was

theirs

just

the

same,

as

they

had

shown

such

sincerity,

and

so

true

a

change

in

their

outlook

on

life.

I

keep

meeting

the

men

who

came

to the

classes on

the

peninsula,

and

afterwards in

hospitals,

etc.

I

could

not

have

wished

for

better

men

than the

little

staff

I

collected

from

the

whole

brigade

to

work

the

canteen,

in

the

big

tent,

and

it

meant

real

hard

work.

But

they

entered

into it

with

zest,

and

we

often

spoke

of

it

afterwards.

It is

on

these

occasions

that

one

forms

very

real

and

lasting friendships,

and

barriers

are

broken

down.

And

quite

as

delightful

was the

intercourse with

the

officers

of

the

R.F.'s

and

L.F.'s,

of

whom

I

saw

most.

They

all

seemed

old

friends,

and

treated

me,

though

a

stranger

and

a

padre,

as

one

of

themselves.

It

was

an

exceedingly

happy

time

and a

delightful

memory.

And

lastly

I

cannot

speak

too

highly

of

the

help

I

had

from

the

brigade

staff,

and

the

colonels,

ad-

jutants,

and

especially transport

officers,

in

the

difficult

work

of

running

the

big

tent. I

had

only

to

ask

for

men,

fatigue parties,

transport, etc.,

and

they

were

at

once

granted.

I

mention

this

as

showing

the

real

in-

terest

the

authorities

showed in

their

men's

comfort.



IN GALLIPOLI

81

I

find

I

made

no

mention

in

my diary

of the

in-

spection

held

by

the Commander-in-Chief

of

the

two

brigades

camped

at

Mex.

It

was

a wonderful

sight,

seeing

them

all

massed

together

with

plenty

of

room

to manoeuvre on

the

stretches

of

smooth

sand.

I

rode

to a

little

hill

at

a

distance

and dismounted

as

I

watched

them.

My groom

had not

tightened

my

saddle-girths,

and when

I

tried

to mount

again

the saddle

slipped

round

and

I

rolled

off. The

regiments

at the

moment

were

marching

off in

column.

Imagine my

dismay

as

I

saw

my

horse

take

fright

and

tear

off

right

past

the

Commander-in-Chief and

his

staff,

and

then

all

among

the

men,

nearly

upsetting

the

cokimn.

It

was

some

little time before

he

was

recaptured.

April 7.

—

Wednesday

I

had to

spend

rushing

round

the

town

finishing

things

up.

We made

so much

money

at

the

tent

that

from

six

days' takings

we

were

able

to

pay

all

expenses,

which

were

over

;^20,

and

have

a

balance

of

^10

left.

Thursday,

April

8.

—

We

returned

to the

A

,

by

this

time

the South

Wales

Borderers

had

taken

the

place

of

the

L.F.'s,

for

which

I

was

rather

sorry,

though

they

seem

a

very

nice

lot.

The

General

and

his staff

are

also

on

board,

and

among

them

F

,

which

is

nice.

My

greatest

tragedy

hitherto

is that

I

have

lost

my

box

of

parade

books

and

Testaments,

etc.

They

put

it

into

a

wrong

truck on

the

train,

and

it

was

taken off

with

a

lot

of tents to the

ordnance

stores.

I

rushed round

the

town

after

it,

but

it was

not to be

found.

Perhaps

it

may

follow

me.

I

saw

H

,

the senior

chaplain

of

the

Division,

just

before

we left.

A

kind

of

chaplain-general

to the whole

Mediterranean

forces

had

been

sent out

by

the

Chap-

lain-General,

Hordern

by

name,

an

Anglican,

whom

I

met

in

Alexandria

and who

seemed

very

nice.

If I



32

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

want

anything

I

am

to

tell

H

,

and H will

write

to

him.

His

orders

are

that

the

chaplains

are

in

no

case to

go

in front

of the advance

dressing-station.

He

says they

are

always

anxious to

get

up

to

the

front,

where

they

can

only

be of use at one

point

in

the

line,

and meanwhile

men

are

being

brought

in

to

the

re-

ceiving-station

from

all

along

the

line.

Of

course

this

means that

I

shall

presumable

be

pretty

safe. But

I

am

very

much

wondering

whether

I

shall

be able

to

watch

the

others

go

off

and

stay

behind.

I

think

there

must

have

been

a

misunderstanding

on

this

point.

At

the

time

there

was

only

one

C.

of

E.

chaplain

to

each

brigade,

in

fact

we

had

only

three

to

the

whole

Division.

The

question

was

how

we

could

be of

greatest

use

to the

greatest

number of

men.

And

it followed

that

if

three

regiments

in

a

brigade

were in an

attack,

being

with

any

one of

the

three

would

make

it

impossible

to do

anything

in

the

other

two. The

converging

point

for

the wounded would

be the

advance

dressing-station

of the

Field Ambu-

lance to which we were attached.

But

operations

on

the

peninsula

did

not at

all

follow

the

book,

and

later

on

the

principal

chaplain

laid

it

down

quite

clearly

that,

while

under

normal

circumstances

the

above

rule

is

the

best to

follow,

each

chaplain

must

use

his

own

discretion

and

be

where

he

feels

he

can

be of

greatest

use.

Since

then the number of

chaplains

has

been

increased,

which

makes this easier. But

there can be

no

ideal

arrangement

until

each

battalion

has its

own

chaplain

of

the denomination of the

majority,

whose

post

shall

be

at

the

regimental

dressing-station

and

who

will

share

the

life of the

regiment

as a

non-com-

batant on

the

same

standing

as

the

medical

officer

and

quartermaster.

The

chaplain

is

a

non-combatant,

and

surely

it

must

be

wrong

for

him

to

go

out

in

the

attack,

much

though

he

may

hate

not

to

share

the

danger

of his men

to

the



Pi



IN GALLIPOLI

33

full.

His work comes after

the

attack,

and

perhaps

most of

all when

the

men

come

away

tired and

worn

out

for

a

little

rest,

or

when

they

are

spending

those

continuous

days

of

wearisome

strain

in

the

trenches.

And

not

least of

all

is

the

fact

that

he

is

the

best

channel

of

communication between

the

men and those

at

home.

Very

often one

is

asked

to

promise

to

write

if

anything

happens,

and the little

personal

letters

the

chaplain

can

write to

those at home are

most

wel-

come,

and

the

knowledge

that

all

that can be

done

by

decent burial has been done. These are

only

a

few

considerations

brought

out

by

after

events.



CHAPTER

IV

IN

MUDROS

HARBOUR

(April

9

—

24)

Friday,

April

9.

—

We

left Alexandria

in

the

morn-

ing

and

went

straight

off

without

waiting

as

we

had

expected.

I

held

my

two

services

as usual

in

the

evening.

I knew

nothing

of

the

South

Wales

Bor-

derers,

and

when

I

got

into

their

dining-room

had

some

difficulty

in

collecting

enough

to

sing

a

hymn,

but

afterwards

they gathered

round

in

good

numbers.

Next

day

there

was

a

large

crowd.

I

have

been

seeing

some

of the

men

in

my

cabin.

Some

are

very

penitent.

We

had

lovely

weather

as usual.

I have

many argu-

ments

with

the

ofiicers,

which

are

rather

amusing.

Some

of

them

spend

most

of

the

day

mildly gambling

at

poker.

They

argue

that

it

is

their

form

of

recreation

of

which

they

are

passionately

fond,

and

as

their

total

gains

or

losses

are

inappreciable

it

can

do

no

harm.

However,

I

tell

them

quite

plainly

I

think

it would

be

a

good

deal

better

if

they

neither

gambled

nor

drank

even

moderately,

and

they

none

of

them

agree,

though

they

acknowledge

I

am

entitled

to

my

opinion

if

asked

for

it.

They

think

me

very

broad-minded

in

my

teaching.

They

are

such

good,

nice

fellows,

and

so

easy

to

get

on

with.

It

is

a

great

experience

in

learn-

ing

how

to

deal

with

men.

It

seems

so

important

to

know

where

to be

broad-minded

and

where narrow.

34



WITH THE TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

35

Saturday,

April

lo.

—

We

passed

Rhodes

and other

islands.

Sunday,

April

ii.

—

I

had

a

Celebration

and

three

parades

in

the

morning,

and

a

voluntary

service

at

night.

I

am

getting

to

think

more

of

parades.

Men

do

listen,

and,

I

think,

pray.

We

arrived

at

Lemnos

at

midday.

It

is not

nearly

so

hilly

and

barren

as

most of

the

islands.

The

slopes

round

the

sea

are

beautifully green

with

growing

crops.

No

trees

though.

There

is

a

most

wonderful,

large,

almost

absolutely

landlocked

harbour.

It was

an

extraordi-

nary sight

coming

into

it.

A

lovely

fresh

spring

day,

the

great

natural

harbour

with its

fresh

green

shores,

and the

water

simply

covered

with

a mass

of

every

kind

of

shipping.

There

was

the

Queen

Elizabeth,

looking

quite

new

and

untouched,

a five-funnelled

Russian

battleship,^

a

large

hospital

ship

(white,

with

red

crosses),

a

number

of

strangely-shaped

French

men-of-war,

and various other

British

ones,

torpedo

boats,

submarines,

water-plane

boats,

and

a

whole

lot

of

transports

of

every

conceivable

kind,

colliers,

tugs,

trawlers,

lighters

—

in

fact,

every

form

of

shipping-

Eventually

we

took

up

our

berth

immediately

along-

side

a

transport.

I

went

over

it

in

the

afternoon to

see

if

I

could

hold

a

service.

But

there

was no

place.

It

was

simply

crammed,

350

horses

and

600

men,

and

no

quarters

for them.

They

had

to

sleep

on

the

decks,

and the

smell

was

not

at

all

savoury.

It

was

quite

exciting

watching

a

hydroplane

circling

round.

In

fact,

something

was

going

on

all the time.

We

could

see

the

shore

dotted

with

funny

little

windmills

used

for

crushing grain,

and

tents of Australian

and French

troops,

and one or two

villages.

1

The

Askold,

soon

christened

by

the

men

"The Packet ot

Woodbines."

from

her

five

long

thin

funnels.



36

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

Monday,

April

12.

—

The General

and Staff

and

Colonel

went off on

the

Queen

Elisabeth

this

morning

to

view

the

situation

at the

Gallipoli

peninsula,

and the

men

have

been

practising

going

down

rope-ladders

into

boats

and

rowing,

at

which

they

were

pretty

bad.

I

determined

to

go

ashore,

and went

off with

two

officers

in

a little

native

boat.

We

walked

round

the

bay

for

two

or three

miles

and

got

to

Mudros,

one

of

the

chief

villages.

There

was

quite

a

decent

road,

with

telephone

wires,

and

many

flocks

of

sheep

and

growing

crops,

and

the

place

looked

quite

rich,

but one

missed

trees.

I wonder

if

we

shall

establish

ourselves

here.

The

trouble

seems

to

be the

anchorage,

which

is

bad,

as

the soil

is

loose,

and

if

there

is

a

strong

wind

the

ships

drag

their

anchors.

The

village

was

a

funny

little

place,

with

fairly

solid

stone houses

and

a

really

fine,

large,

imposing,

new

church.

The

natives

had

erected

a number

of

little

stands

where

they

sold

oranges,

Turkish

delight,

figs

and

dates.

We

seem

to

have

taken

over

the

island,

and

natives

have

to

get

passports

to

enable them

to

go

from

one

place

to

another.

However,

they

must be

making

lots

of

money. Many

can

speak

English,

either

having

been

on

English

merchant

boats

or

to

America.

The

two

officers

I

was

with were

rather

stupid,

and

discussed

hunting,

etc.,

most of the

way,

and

seemed

to

take

no

interest

in

poking

about.

We

had some

difficulty

in

getting

a boat to take

us

back,

as

they

all wanted

so

much

money.

Eventually

an

English

officer

appeared

and made

a

row

and took

their

names

down,

and we

sailed

off

in

a

fairly

choppy

sea,

dropping

a

man

at

the

Russian

boat on

the

way.

Tuesday,

April

13.

—

I

went

on

shore

again

in the

afternoon. It

was

very windy

off

shore,

and

the

boat

had the

greatest

difficulty

in

rowing

the

little

way

to



rRACTISIXG CKITINC INTO BOATS

FROM II.M.T.

'A

'

IN

MUDROS

HARBOUR



IN GALLIPOLI

37

land. The General

and Staff

were

in

the

boat,

and

it

was

very funny seeing

them

carried

ashore

on

the

backs

of some of

the

Naval

Division.

It

had

been

raining

all

the

morning,

and

the

road,

which

had

been

perfectly

dry

the

day

before,

w-as

a

mass

of

slimy

mud,

which made

walking very

difficult.

I

saw

the

Commander-in-Chief

tearing

along

through

the

village.

They say

he

always

walks

very

fast,

and is

of

a

quick,

nervous

disposition.

We sailed back to

the

A

in

time for tea.

I

was

pretty

well

occupied

every

evening

for

the

rest

of the

week.

At

5.30,

some

four

or

five

men who

had

given

me

their

names

for

Con-

firmation

came

in

for

a

class;

at

6.15

I

went

down to

hold

a

service

for

the

Naval

Division and

Engineers.

Most

of

the former

are

pit-boys

from

Durham,

nice

boys,

and

I

enjoyed

my

meetings

with

them

very

much.

Two

of

the

engineers

came

one

evening

and

asked

to

be

baptized,

so

I

had further to

arrange

Baptism

Classes.

Then

at

7,

or as soon after as

pos-

sible,

I

snatched

some

supper,

and

at

7.30

went

to

the

Royal

Fusiliers,

and

at

8.15

to

the South Wales

Borderers,

and

always

had

good

gatherings.

I

went

very

hot

at them

one

evening

on

the moral

question,

and told

them

quite

plainly

that

victory

in

the

war

would

be

of

no

use

unless

we learnt to

change

public

opinion

with

regard

to

it. In

fact,

I

have been

waging

incessant

war

against

the

whole

thing, among

the

officers

just

as much as

amongst

the

men.

They

are

all

very

candid with me

about it.

However,

it would

take too

long

to

go

into

a discussion

of

the

whole

question

here.

Wednesday,

April 14.

—

I

did

not

go

ashore

any

more,

as

I

was

kept

pretty busy

on board

one

way

and

another.

I

visited

the

Implacable

(a

battleship),

how-

ever,

going

on

board with a

party

of

officers.

I

was



38

WITH THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

taken

all

over

by

the

chaplain.

He

gave

me some

Prayer

Books,

for

which

I

was

glad.

By

the

way,

we

moved

our

position

on

Tuesday,

I

think,

and came

alongside

the

jB

,

sister-ship

to

the

A

,

with

two

regiments,

the

Divisional

Staff

and

Major-General

Hunter-Weston,

and

no

chaplain

of

any

kind,

so

I

was

the

only

one

among

some

5000

men.

Thursday, April

15.

—

I

kept quiet

all

day,

and

did

not

go

off

the boat.

But

somehow

there

always

seemed

a

lot to

do,

with the

various

classes

and

services

and

endless

people

to talk

to.

We

got

two

mails

during

the

week,

and it

was

very

nice

getting

some

news.

Two

books

on

Turkey

and

a

sketching-case

also

arrived.

I

wonder

if

I

shall

get

any

opportunity

of

using

it.

Friday,

April

16.

—

I

rowed

over

to

the

C

,

which

was tied

up

with

the

D

,

and

had

the

L.F.'s,

Dublins,

and

Munsters

on

board

between

them

;

and

arranged

to

come

over

on

Sunday

afternoon

and hold

parades.

I

also

saw the

two

R.C.

chaplains,

and

discovered

a

C.

of

E.

one,

belonging

to

the

Naval

Division,

who

arranged

to

take

the

Celebrations.

But

I

said

I

would

like

to

see

the

L.F.'s

again

in

the after-

noon.

I

had

got

to

know

them

so

well.

By

now

the

harbour

has become

a

perfect

mass

of

shipping.

There

must

be

well over

100

transports,

supply

ships,

hospital

ships,

some

20

men-of-war,

besides

colliers,

mine-

sweepers,

water-boats,

and

tugs

of

all

descriptions,

and

it is

exceedingly

difficult

to

find

any

boat

one

wants.

All

kinds of

boat-drill

has

been

going

on.

The

men

are

not

much

good

at

rowing, and

the

boats

are

very

heavy

and

cumbersome.

But

they

are

as a

rule

towed

in

strings

of

five

or

six

by

a steam

pinnace.

It

was,

I

think,

this

day

that

the

first

mishap

occurred.

I

have

only gathered

the

details

in

scraps



IN

GALLIPOLI

39

(yesterday

from

a

survivor)

since.

Transports

had

been

arriving

every

day

from

Alexandria,

unescorted.

Among

them was

the

M

,

with

artillery

and the

South

Wales

Borderers'

transport

on

board.

At

lo

a.m.

the

men

were

all

on

deck with

lifebelts

on^

doing

boat-drill.

The officers were

mostly

below,

looking

at

maps.

A

torpedo-boat

appeared

on

the

horizon

flying

the

halt

signal

(but

flying

no

flag,

a

fact

which

must

have been

overlooked,

as the

ship

obeyed

the

signal).

The men looked

on

with

interest

till

she

came

about

150

yards

off

and

hoisted

the

Turkish

flag.

The

Captain

called out

that

he

gave

them

ten

minutes to

take

to

their

boats. She

fired

three

torpedoes,

all

of

which

missed

The

crew and

men

began

to

lower the

boats,

one of

which fell

from

the davits

and caused

many

casualties.

Presently

several

of

our

torpedo-boats

came

up,

and

the

Turk

absconded.

She

ran

ashore

on

Chios and was

blown

up

there.

The

M

picked

up

her

boats and went

on

her

way

—

short in her

complement

of the

poor

fellows drowned. It

appears

the

torpedo-boat

slipped

out

of

Smyrna

harbour

one

night

when

it

was

being

guarded

by

some of

our boats.

Another

is

said

to

have

got

out as

well.^

Saturday,

April 17.

—

I

spent

the

morning

arranging

Sunday

services.

I

discovered

H

had

been

sig-

nalling

over

to

the

B

about

taking

services

there,

so

decided

I

must see

him.

I

had

sent

him

a

letter

some

days

before,

and he

had

signalled

an

answer

back

which

I

never

got.

So

I

rowed

over

to

the

E

,

where

he

was,

and

had

a

little

confab with

him

and a

Methodist

chaplain,

L

.

I

found

H

had

been over

to

see

me,

and

we

crossed,

but

I

waited

^

I

leave

this account

for

what

it

is

worth,

though

it

is

only

second-hand

and

may

be

inaccurate

in

detail.



40

WITH

THE TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

for

him.

He is senior

chaplain

to

the

Division.

C

had

not

yet

arrived,

so

we

had to

arrange

for

his

brigade,

which were

mostly

on

my

two

boats.

In

the

evening

I

had

a

little

discussion

with

the

men,

who

were

exceedingly

responsive,

but said

it

was

quite

impossible

for

a

soldier to

say

his

prayers

or

give

up

swearing,

both

of

which

they

would

do

if

they

returned

to

civilian life.

I

think this

exaggerated

the

real state

of

affairs.

Sunday, April

i8.

—

A

very busy

and

fairly

tiring

day.

Celebrations

for

two

ships

at

seven

and

eight

o'clock

(about

sixty altogether),

two

morning

parades

on

A

,

two

afternoon

parades

on

C

(L.F.'s

and

Munsters),

two

voluntary

evening

services

on

A

and

B

. At

the

latter

two

men were

baptized.

There must

have been

300

present.

Monday,

April

19.

—

Celebration

at

6.30

(six

present).

I

could

not

understand

why

the

senior

officers

of the

L.F.'s

were over both

Sunday

evening

and

Monday

morning.

I

discovered later their

Colonel,

who

com-

manded

the

A

coming

out,

is

to

go

home

owing

to

valvular

disease

of

the

heart.

Poor

man,

he is

absolutely

broken.

I

saw him

since,

and

he

looked

dreadful.

He

has

always

been

very

good

to

me,

and

has

been an

indefatigable

worker. B

,

a

very good

fellow,

ably

seconded

by

P

,

is

now

in

command.

I

slept

part

of the

afternoon.

After

tea

we had a

concert on

deck,

given

by

the

men

of the

Implacable,

who

got

themselves

up

very

elaborately

and

were

quite

good,

though

fairly

lewd.

Most

of

their

officers

were

entertained

to

dinner

by

the

R.F.'s.

It was

a

little

sad

to

see the

middies,

some

only

sixteen,

drinking

a

good

deal of

whisky

and

smoking

many cigarettes

during

the

evening.

I

had a

good

deal

of

talk

with the

captain.

They



O

O

in

O

Q

D

<

o

.W'.



IN

GALLIPOLI

41

gave

the

men

a

concert

in

the

evening,

and

I had

no

services.

Tuesday,

April

20.

—

I

got

everything

packed

up,

as

I

was

under

orders

to

go

to

the

M

and

join

my

Field

Ambulance.

I

quite

forgot

that

on

Monday

morning

we

had

a

conference of

chaplains

on

board

the E

.

The vS

,

with R and another

Presbyterian

chaplain,

a

New

Zealander who

had been

transferred,

C and

D

(R.C.),

had

pulled

alongside.

So

with

H and

L

(Wesleyan)

we

were

seven

altogether,

and

had a

very

pleasant

little

gathering,

prayers being

said

by

H

,

R

and

D

(C.

of

E.,

Presbyterian,

and

R.C.).

We

dis-

cussed

all

sorts

of

things,

where we were to

go

and

what

to

do

and

how

to work

together,

etc.

We

are

not

to advance

beyond

the

first

dressing-station.

As

the

R.F.'s

had

to

be

the

first

to

land,

I

had

to

leave

them.

But it

was

blowing

very

hard,

and the

M

was

some

distance

off

in

the

outer

harbour,

and

I

could

not

get

a

boat to take

me,

though

I

tried

all

day

and

tackled

every

picket-boat

that

came

alongside.

However,

it

gave

me

an

opportunity

to hold

some

final

gatherings

on board

in the

evening.

The officers

all

seemed

very

sorry

I

was

to leave

them. We

had had endless

discussions.

Wednesday,

April

21.

—

Again

I

was

packed

and

ready

to

go

off,

and

had

my

servant

(whom

the

Colonel

of

the

R.F.'s

very

kindly

allowed

me to

keep)

ready

waiting.

I

practically

had

despaired

of

getting

off,

when

at

last

I

found

a

picket-boat

was

going

from

the

B with some

officers

who

had

been over for

a conference.

It was still

blowing

hard,

and

our

departure

had

been

postponed

for

twenty-four

hours

in

consequence.

I

got

off

eventually

about

5.30,

with

all

my

kit.

The

troops

had been

rearranged,

and

half



42 WITH

THE TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

a battalion of the

Hants had

come

on

board^

and

my

cabin

was

wanted. So

I

got

on

board

the

M

in

the

evening.

There

are

only

a

few

officers

—

about

eighteen

—

here and various

odd

units,

the

transports

of five

regiments,

part

of

the

89th

Field

Ambulance

with

the

Colonel,

and

a

company

of

Royal

Scots,

the

only

Territorial

regiment

in

the

Division.

I

knew

three

of

the

transport

ofificers

—

nice fellows

—

before,

and

the

R.A.M.C.

doctors

slightly.

The

boat

is

fairly

comfortable,

a

Red

Star

Line

boat.

There are about

700

horses

on

board.

A

water-boat

came

alongside

yesterday,

and

we

took

in

twenty

tons of

water.

Thursday,

April

22.

—

Presumably

the

expedition

starts

to-day,

about

four

o'clock

I

understand,

if

the

weather has

moderated

enough.

I

shall

see

the trans-

ports pass

and

we

will

follow

later.

It

seems a

per-

fectly

desperate

undertaking.

I

can

hardly

expect

to

see

many

of

my

men

alive

again.

My

present

feel-

ing

is that the

whole

thing

has

been

bungled.

The

Navy

should

never have started

the

bombardment

without

the

Army.

Now there has

been no

bombard-

ment

for

some weeks.

Meanwhile the

Turks,

under

German

direction,

have

perfected

their

defences.

The

aerial

reconnaissance

reports

acres of

barbed

wire,

labyrinths

of

trenches,

concealed

guns,

maxims

and

howitzers

everywhere.

The

ground

is mined. In

fact,

everything

conceivable has been

done.

Our men

have to

be

towed

in

little

open

boats to land in

the

face of

all

this. Of

course their

landing

will

be

covered

by

the

Navy.

But

I

simply

dread

the

first

few

days.

I

felt

so

miserable

saying good-bye.

However,

I

don't

suppose

it

can be much

worse

than

what

has been

going

on

in

France.

Slaughter

seems

to be

inevitable. We

had a

printed

message

from

Hunter-

Weston,

our

Divisional General

yesterday.



IN

GALLIPOLI

43

He

said the

eyes

of

the world

are

on

us,

and

we

must

be

prepared

to

face

heavy

losses

by

bullets,

shells,

mines,

and

drowning.

Cheery,

isn't it?

People's

eyes

seem

perfectly

open.

My

brigade

is

to

land

first.

At

least

three-quarters,

it

seems

to

me,

will

probably

be

casualties the first

day.

They

are

quite

prepared

for it.

I

feel

very

gloomy

about

it all

at

the

present

moment.

One

thing

I

feel

certain

of,

and

that

is

that

the men will

do

their

duty

and

cover

themselves with

glory,

even if

they

are

to

be

exterminated;

and

even

if

they

had

gone

to

France it would

have

been the same.

Extermination

is

going

on

everywhere,

and

nothing

can

stop

it

now.

I

held a

service in

the

saloon

in

the

evening,

and

a

number of

men and officers came.

Friday,

April

23.

—

I

had

a

Celebration

at

7.30.

Only

three

present.

Practically

all

Presbyterian

or

R.C.

on board. The

boats did not

go

out

on

Thursday

as we

expected.

The wind

had blown

pretty

hard

all

day,

but

I

don't

think

that

was

the

cause.

Some

of the

officers

rowed

over to

the

trans-

ports

and

brought

me back

some letters.

I

sat on

deck

most of the

day

and read

Guy

Mannering,

which

I

enjoyed.

There

is

always

a

lot to watch.

We

are

anchored at

the mouth

of

the

harbour

close

to

the

boom

through

which

all

the

ships

must

pass.

A

number

of

French boats

had

anchored

outside. Boats

of

all

kinds

kept

passing

all

day.

I

had

another

service

at

six

o'clock

on

the boat-deck.

But

it was

rather

interrupted,

as

the

transports

began

to

move

out

from

the

inner

harbour,

and when the

A

came

I had to let the

men

go,

and

we all

cheered.

An

aeroplane

kept

circling

overhead,

and

battleships

were

passing.

Only

the

A

,

C

,

and

D

with

the

86th

Brigade

on

board,

seemed

to

go.

We



44

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

understand

they

are

going

to

anchor

off

Tenedos

and

make some

sort of demonstration next

day,

and the

real

attack

and

landing

was to

take

place

at

dawn

on

Sunday.

The

nights

are

lovely.

There

is

a

half

moon.

All

the boats

are lit

up.

The

searchlights

play

across

the harbour

mouth. The

most

wonderful

sights

are the

hospital

ships

:

one

lay

quite

close

to

us,

with

red

crosses

and

a

large

belt

of

green

in electric

light.

Saturday,

April

24.

—

I

have

been on deck

watching

practically

all

day.

There

has

been a

great

procession

of

boats. The

most wonderful

began

at

2

p.m.,

when

the

men-of-war

filed

very

slowly

and

silently

out,

one

behind the

other,

quite

close

to

us,

headed

by

the

Queen

Elisabeth.

She was

quite

magnificent,

with

her

eight

huge

15-inch

guns,

in

sets

of

four,

piled

on

the

top

of

each

other.

They

were

all

cleared

for

action.

There

were

seven

men-of-war,

followed

by

six

destroyers.

They

made a

most beautiful

curve

as

they

passed

us

to

go

through

the

boom. The

sun

shone

out

and

they

gleamed.

It

was

an

unforgettable

sight.

Some

of

the

ships

had a

number of

Australians

on

board. We

waved

and

cheered

occasionally,

but

it

was

mostly

quite

silent.

Then

came

many

more

transports

towing lighters,

mine-sweepers,

and

tugs

of

all

kinds

among

them. What a

tremendous busi-

ness it

all

is

A

large

number of boats have

anchored

just

outside

the boom.

We

are

to

move

out

at

6.20

a.m.

to-morrow. The

attack

presumably

will

start

at dawn.

It

will

be

a

great joy

if

we find

even

half

the 86th

Brigade

in

the

firing-line

when

we land.

I

feel a

little

more

hopeful

now.

Everything

possible

seems to have been

done,

and the

victory surely

will

be ours

if

it is for the

good

of the world that it

should

be.

The

transports

of

the 86th

Brigade

are

on

board.



i

5

<

-1

<

O

Q

O

J

<



IN GALLIPOLI

45

and

the officers

and

men

feel

very

sick

at

being

left

behind and

seeing

their

regiments

pass.

We

hear

there

is

to

be

a

most

terrific

bombardment of

about

I20,ooo(?)

shells.

The

troops

are

to

land

in

every

manner

of

way.

We

will

come

on

the scene

only

when

they

have been

able

to

advance

at

least

five

miles.

The

87th

and 88th

Brigades

will

follow

close

on

the

86th. No

wounded

can

be

carried

off

for

forty-eight

hours.

I

think that

we

all

feel that we are

the centre

of

the

world,

and

that

the

war

in

France

for the

moment

falls

in

the

background.

It

is all

the

most

extraordinary

adventure. We have

had

mes-

sages

from

the

King

and Sir

Ian

Hamilton.

None

of

us

will

ever

forget

that

procession

of men-of-war

and

transports.

I

talked

a

lot

with the

men this after-

noon

and with the

officers

on

board.

Well,

I

suppose

we

will

know

something

soon.



CHAPTER V

OFF

CAPE

HELLES

(April

25—30)

Special

Brigade

Order

By

Brigadier-General

S.

W.

Hare

Commanding

86th

Infantry

Brigade

Fusiliers,

Our

Brigade

is to

have

the

honour

to

be

the

first

to

land

and

to

cover

the

disembarkation

of

the

rest

of

the

Division.

Our

task

will

be

no

easy

one.

Let

us

carry

it

through

in

a

way

worthy

of

the tradi-

tions of

the

distinguished

regiments

of

which

the

Fusilier

Brigade

is

composed;

in

such a

way

that

the

men

of

Albuhera

and

Minden,

of

Delhi

and

Lucknow

may

hail

us

as their

equals

in

valour

and

military

achievement,

and

that

future

historians

may say

of

us

as

Napier

said

of

the

Fusilier

Brigade

at

Albuhera,

"Nothing

could

stop

this

astonishing

Infantry."

S.

W.

Hare,

Brigadier-General,

Commanding

86th

Infantry

Brigade.

Sunday, April

25.

—

At

6.20

a.m.

we

weighed

anchor

on

a

beautiful

calm

morning

and

steamed

slowly

out

of

harbour.

I

had a

Celebration

at

7

a.m.

and

a

service

on

deck at

9

a.m.

As

we finished we

began

to hear

the first

sounds

of

firing

in

the

dim

distance.

Every

one

had their

glasses

out,

and

we

fixed

them

on

the

horizon to

the

front of

us.

Gradually

we

made

out the

outlines

of the

Gallipoli peninsula

and

the

mouth

of

46



WITH

THE TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

47

the

Dardanelles,

and saw

transports

and

battleships

lying-

off all

the

way

round

and

up

the

Dardanelles,

and heard

the

sound

of

guns

from the

latter

booming

out louder

and

louder

as

we

drew

closer.

We

all

knew

pretty

well the

plan

of

campaign

before

we

left

Lemnos.

Three

landings

were

to be

made on

"V,"

"W"

and

"X

"

beaches

on the

point

of

the

peninsula

by

the

29th

Division.

The

French

were

to land

on

the

Asiatic side

and

the

Australians

right

up

the Gulf

of

Saros

(at

least

so

we

thought).

You

can

imagine

how

we

strained

our

eyes

to

see

what had

happened.

We

anchored

right

in

the

middle

of

the

stream

flowing

out

through

the

Dardanelles

just

three

miles from

the

land.

In

front

slightly

to

the

left

is

the

Gallipoli

peninsula,

with

Cape

Helles

at

the

point,

and a

village,

a

light-

house

and

forts.

Across,

on the

right,

is

the

Asiatic

coast,

with

a

large

village

on

the

top

of a

cliff

on

the

sea,

a

sandy

beach

inside

the

Dardanelles and

another

village

further

up.

The

Gallipoli peninsula

is

preci-

pitous

all

round

except

for

one

or

two

small

beaches.

Above the cliffs the

land

from

the

sea looks

fairly

level,

sloping gradually

up

for

a

distance

of five

miles

to

a

hill

on

the horizon,

Achi

Baba

Dagh,

about

600

feet

high.

As a

matter

of

fact

about

a

mile from the

coast

is

a

valley,

really

only

a

depression.

Well,

both

sides were

receiving

a

tremendous

bom-

bardment

from the men-of-war.

They

were

demolish-

ing

forts

and

villages

along

the coast

on

either

side,

and

through

the

glasses

we

could see

them

crumble

away

under

the

shells. The

lighthouse

on

Cape

Helles

was

demolished.

We

watched

with

special

interest

the

Russian

cruiser

with five funnels

demolish

the

village

of Yeni

Shehr

on

the Asiatic side.

The

Queen

Elizabeth

was

about

a

mile

up

the

Dardanelles,

blazing away

with

her

15-inch

guns,

landing

shells

all



48

WITH THE TWENTY-NINTH DIVISION

over

and

up

onto

the

top

of Achi

Baba.

Meanwhile

we could

see that

the

landing

had been effected

by

the

different

troops

on both

sides.

We

could

just

make

out

men

on

the

beach.

Just

under

the

village,

and

fort

of

Sed-ul-Bahr

we could

see

where

a

tramp

steamer^

had been run

ashore,

as

we had understood it would

be,

the

troops,

I

believe,

jumping

out of the

sides,

which

were

to

be letdown. On "X"and

"

W"

beaches

there were a

lot of

boats

and

lighters

drawn

up.

We

could make out

troops

on

the

top

of the cliff.

The

men-of-war and

many

of the

transports

lay

quite

close

up

to

the

shore,

and

there

were a crowd of

tugs

and

picket-boats

of all

kinds about

everywhere.

We

saw

no

shell

drop

in the water and no boats seemed to

have

been

hit.

We

got

no news

for

some

time,

however.

The

first

we

heard was from

the F

,

which

anchored

alongside

and

said

she

had

landed

her

men

of

the

Naval Division

without

a

casualty.

We

could

see rows

of small boats

put

off to

the

hospital

ships.

Later

in

the

evening

a

destroyer

passed

and

shouted

out

that

we

had demolished

five

forts,

and in

some

places

advanced threemiles.

This

subsequently

seemed

to

be

greatly

over-estimated. It was a most extra-

ordinary sight,

laid

out

like

a

panorama

in

front

of

us,

and

yet

impossible

for

us

really

to

know

what

was

happening.

We could see

French

troops

landing

on

a

sandy

beach

on

the

Asiatic

side

and

artillery

coming

into

action. Our

artillery

had

not landed

yet.

Our

jcyes

got

tired

out

with

straining

to

look

through

glasses.

I

had

another

service

at 8

p.m.

in

the

saloon,

which

was

crowded

mostly

with

Presbyterians, many

officers

coming.

The

bombardment

quieted

down

in

the

evening

and

I

went to bed about

10.30.

^

The famous

River

Clyde^

of

course.



IN

GALLIPOLI

49

Monday,

April

26.

—

I

awoke

at

1.45

a.m.

to

the sound

of

a terrific

bombardment

and

almost

incessant

riflefire.

I

put

a coat

on and

went

up

on

deck.

I

found

a

ship's

officer

on

watch.

I

had

been

terrified

of

a counter

attack

by

the

Turks

at

night

with

our

men

exhausted.

There

was a

terrific

noise

going

on

—

almost incessant

rifle fire

and

machine

guns

on

both

sides

of

the

Dar-

danelles.

I

felt

quite

sickened,

feeling

how terrible

the first

night

must have

been

for

the

men.

I

stayed

there

an

hour,

during

which

it went

on

all

the

time,

watching

the flashes

of

the

guns.

But

it

seemed

no

good

going

on

watching,

so

I

went

to

bed

again

at

2.45.

Practically

every

one

else

had

slept

through

it

all.

At

breakfast

of

course

we

knew

nothing

except

that there

had been

violent

fighting,

and

could

make

nothing

more

out

during

the

morning.

It

did

not

seem

that

we

were

making

much

advance.

The

bom-

bardment

continued

intermittently.

We could see the

Turkish

shrapnel

burst over

where

our

men

must

be.

It

was another

beautiful

day.

I

got

tired

of

watching,

however,

and

read

a

good

deal. At

last in the

after-

noon

a

tug

came

up

with

orders that

we

were

to

go

within

half

a

mile

of

"X

"

beach

and

land

160

boxes

of

ammunition,

which

was

a

very

welcome

change.

As

we

got

nearer

we could

see

a

well-established

landing

on

"

W

"

beach.

Some

w-agons

appeared

to have been

landed,

and

there was a

fairly easy

way

up

the

cliffs.

Crowds

of

men

were

moving

about,

landing

stores.

The

R.A.M.C.

had

established a

base

and were

tend-

ing

wounded.

We

coasted

along

round

the

point

to

"X

"

beach,

a

much

smaller

one

with

no

natural

way up

the

cliff,

where

we

saw

the

engineers

busy

cutting

out

a

road.

We

had

been

told

to

look out

for

snipers,

and

some

shots

appeared

to

drop

round the

ship.

We

anchored

off

the

coast

(the

Captain

was

very

excited



50

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

and

shouted

a

lot),

and

four boats

put

off

with

ammuni-

tion,

getting

ashore

as

ordered

by

four

o'clock.

We

could

see

a

large

crowd

on

the

beach,

also

landing

stores,

and

a

R.A.M.C.

station.

Well,

at

last

we

got

some

news

from

those

who

went

ashore,

and also

from

a man of

the

Border

Regiment,

who

had

just

had

his

fingers

shot

off,

while

the

boats

were

there,

by

a

sniper.

However,

he

was

quite

cheery

and

I

went

and saw

him in the

evening.

Well,

of

course

this

was

only

one

beach

and

we

could

get

no

general

survey

or

really

authentic

news.

But

what

came

out

most

clearly

was

that

my

own

two

special

regiments

had

been

terribly

cut

up,

but

otherwise

the

casualties

had not

been

heavy.

^

In

fact

it

was

very

black

about the

R.F.'s

and the

L.F.'s.

The

Borderers

had landed

without

mishap

and

supported

the

R.F.'s.

The

wounded

man

said

he

had

heard

the

R.F.'s

roll

called

that

morning,

and there

were

only

about

240

that

answered.^

The

Colonel

and

two

Majors

w-ere

said

to

be

wounded

and

only

nine

officers

left. But

it

is

impossible

to

know

any

facts

for

certain. On

"

W

"

beach

it

appears

that the L.F.'s

were

terribly

cut

up

on

landing.

It

was

the obvious

landing-place,

and

the

Turks had laid barbed wire in

the

water. This

we had

heard

before.

Well,

as

soon

as

our boats

got

back we

weighed

anchor and

came

back

to our

old

position.

I

felt

very

blue.

My

two

particular

regiments

cut

up

and

I

was

not

with them or even

near

them,

and

it

is

impossible

to

hear

any

details.

It

all

sounds

very

horrible.

I

ought

to

have

been

there,

at

any

rate

on

the

beach,

seeing

the

poor

wounded

fellows

and

bury-

ing

the dead.

There

seems

to

have

been

no

chaplain

'

Of

course this

does

not

refer

to the

terrible

landing

at

"

V

"

beach.

'•^

There

were

really

more

than

these.



7-.

::;

a

c

c

77.

y

O

a

C

z

M

a

a

Q

<

O

a

z

o



IN GALLIPOLI

51

there.

^

But

what can I do

?

I

am

ordered to

be

with

my

Field Ambulance.

Well,

things

were

not

so

noisy

this

night.

It

appears

most of

the

firing

the

night

before

had

been

wild

and

unnecessary,

but

I

expect

every

one's

nerves

must

have

been on

edge

and

they

blazed

away

without reason.

I

am

not

surprised.

The

landing

must

have

been

ghastly.

However,

on

seeing

the cliffs

the

marvel is

that

they

managed

to

land

at

all.

The

enemy

had known

for

months

that

they

were

coming

and had

time

to

make

every

preparation.

Two

regiments,

and

how

many

more

we

don't

know,

had

to

be

sacrificed to make

the

landing.

There are

five

transport

officers

on

board,

the

four

regiments

of

my

brigade

having

their

transports

here,

and

another. It

is bad for

them

being

left

in

suspense

while their

regi-

ments

are

being

cut

up.

Tuesday,

April

27.

—

There

seems

to have

been

a

certain

amount

of

bombardment

during

the

night,

but

when

I

woke

up

I

saw the

Russian

and

a

French

man-

of-war

steaming away

to

the

south,

and all

sound of

firing

ceased on

the

Asiatic

side.

Later

a

French

torpedo-boat

passed

us,

and

when

we

asked

how

they

were

getting

on,

they

said,

"C'est

fini

—

determine,"

which

sounds

hopeful.

No one

paid

us

any

attention

all

day

and we

could

get

no

news.

I

got

tired of

watch-

ing

through

glasses,

and

lay

in a

chair

and

read

Guy

Mannering

all

day

—

an

extraordinary

occupation

in

the

middle

of

a

terrific

bombardment

and

while

many

of

one's

recent

friends

lay

mangled,

dying,

and

dead.

But

the

only

thing

is

to be

philosophical.

It

is

war,

and

war

must mean

death,

and

it is

no

use

getting

agi-

tated.

The

fighting

did not

appear

to

progress

very

rapidly.

They

did

not

get anywhere

near

the

top

of

^

I

discovered

later

that

both H

and L

had

landed on

the

Sunday,

and

had

been

workhig

heroically.



52

WITH

THE TWENTY-NINTH DIVISION

Achi

Baba.

We

could see

shrapnel

burst

everywhere

and

at intervals

the

men-of-war started

bombarding

certain

points

on the

horizon or

lower

slopes

of the

hill.

Shrapnel

seemed

also

to

be

bursting

over

where

our

men

presumably

were.

We

had

been

delighted

the

evening

before

to

see

nine

French

transports

come

up

crowded

with

men,

and

also

an

English

one

with

part

of the

R.N.D.,

evidently

to

reinforce

us.

Our

artillery

were

well

in

action

all

day

and the nearer

slopes

seemed

quite

safe.

But

as

this

is

a

transport ship they

will

not

want

us

till

all

is

cleared of the

enemy.

Besides,

the

beaches are

small

and crowded with

more

important

units

landing.

We

saw masses of

troops

moving

all

along

the

tops

of the

cliffs,

in

some cases

running

back as

though

being

shelled,

possibly

reserves

ex-

posing

themselves

a

little

too

freely.

But

it

was

im-

possible

to

make

anything

out

for

certain

and

one

gets

tired

of

guessing.

We

keep

wondering

what the

Aus-

tralians

are

doing.

Again

it was

a

lovely

day

and

the

whole

thing

seemed

like

a

sort

of

show.

It

blew

rather a

squall

in

the

evening,

but

calmed off com-

pletely

at

night,

and was

quite

warm

with

a

brilliant

full

moon.

The

ships

were

all

lit

up

and

everything

was

perfectly

peaceful.

I

suppose

some

day

we

shall

know

something.

I

wish

I

knew the

fate

of the

R.F.'s

and

L.F.'s

for

certain.

Perhaps

it

may

not

be

as

bad

as

we

imagine;

but

I

am

afraid it must be

very

bad,

I

should have

been

there,

and

w-onder

if

I

should

not

have

insisted

on

staying

on

board the

A

.

But

that

is

unprofitable speculation

now.

Wednesday,

April

28.

—

Another

day

of

waiting

with

absolutely

no

news.

Again

a

beautifully

fine

day.

We

have been

wonderfully

fortunate

in our

weather.

Again

we

watched

through

glasses

all

day.

The

battle

seemed

to

rage

on

both

sides of

Achi

Baba.

We



THE

RUSSIAN

CRUISER,

THE

'

ASKOLD,'

SOON

NICKNAMED

BY

THE

MEN "the

packet

OF

WOODBINES"



IN

GALLIPOLI

53

could

see

shrapnel

bursting everywhere,

but

it

was

really

impossible

to be

certain

whether it was our

own

or the

enemy's

Later

in

the

afternoon

the

battleships

started

dropping

shells

on

the

further

side of Achi

Baba.

At

about

6.30

a

most tremendous

bombard-

ment

started

from

a

number of

battleships

on three

sides

of

the

promontory.

Up

to

the

north

we

could

see

a

captive

balloon

moored

to

a

ship

which

was

apparently

directing

operations.

Not

far

from

it,

well

out to

sea,

was

the

Queen

Elisabeth.

Two

or three

battleships

up

the

Dardanelles were

firing

away

with

tremendous

rapidity.

They

seemed

to be

sweeping

along

the

whole

top

of

the

Achi

Baba

range,

evidently

covering

a

big

infantry

advance.

The

sun was

setting

and lit

up

the

whole

promontory,

evidently

giving

a

good

light

for

observations.

The

bombardment

lasted

about

an

hour

or

less,

and

must have been terrific

for

those

on

the

hill. After

supper

the

wind

got

up

and

raged

very strong

all

night

and

turned

pretty

cold,

but as

it

was

off

shore

and

with the

current

it

did

not

seem to

make

any

waves,

so we

had

a

calm

night.

We

are

all

longing

to land

and

get

some news.

All

the

world

must

know much more than we

do

only

a

few

miles

away

from

the

scene

of

action.

What

are

the

Australians

doing?

How

is

the

Navy

getting

on

further

up

the

Dardanelles

?

We

know

nothing.

Thursday, April 29.

—

This is

a

perfectly

intermin-

able

wait.

Day

after

day

passes

and

we

get

no

news

and

no

orders.

It

was

very

quiet

on

land

till

evening,

when a

slight

bombardment of

the

right-hand

shoulder

of

Achi

Baba

took

place,

but the

battle seemed

to have

got

a

good

deal

further

away

and

the

shells

to

be

dropping

mostly

on

the

further

side.

We

saw

practi-

cally

no

shrapnel

burst.

There

was a

little

fighting

on

the

It



54

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

and

was

dead

calm

at

night,

with

a

perfectly gorgeous

full

moon

rising

behind

the

Asia

Minor

mountains

and

shining

on

the

sea,

while the sun

set in

an

absolutely

clear

sky.

I

wrote

a

letter

home

as

I

felt

I

must

go

on

doing

so,

hoping

that

some

day

a chance of

posting

them

may

come.

I am

personally quite

happy

to

be

anywhere,

but

it

seems

a

ridiculous waste

of time.

Three

or

four

transports

came

up

in

the

evening,

and

seem

to

have

put

in

to

shore

while we

are

still left here.

It

seems

quite

inexplicable

why

they

send us

no orders.

Friday,

April

30.

—

Just

after

breakfast

the

Turks

started

to

bombard

the

French

base

camp

on

"

V

"

beach

.

We could

see

about

half-a-dozen

shells

drop

apparently

right

in

the

centre

of

their

camp

where

they

had

a

number

of

tents

pitched,

and

quantities

of horses

picketed

and

hundreds of

men

about.

One

shell

seemed

to

come

from

the Asiatic

side.

As

far

as

it

was

possible

to

see

through

the

telescope compara-

tively

little

damage

was

done,

men

were

calmly

walking

about,

the

tents

seemed

undisturbed,

and

the

tramp

steamer,

which had

been

run

ashore,

appeared

to be

none

the

worse. The Turks

seemed to

have

planned

a

general

bombardment,

as

shells

appeared

to

come

from

the

other

side

of

Achi

Baba,

and

shrapnel

to

burst

all

over

the

slopes

on this side.

Several

shells

dropped

in

the

water

in

the

Dardanelles

close

to

the

battleships.

The

ships

all

started

to

reply,

and

before

long

the

batteries

on

the

Asiatic

side

were

silenced,

or

ceased

to

fire,

and

shells

have

been

dropping

intermittently

on the

slopes

of

Achi

Baba.

But

everything

is

con-

jecture

at this

distance.

It is

a

gorgeous

morning

and

turning

much

warmer.

The

following

account

has been

contributed

by

Lieut.-Colonel

Newenham

commanding

the

2nd

Royal

Fusiliers.



is

-3

o

<

u

>



IN

GALLIPOLI

55

On

April

23,

by

night,

the

ships

containing

the

covering

force

—

i.

e.

86th

Brigade (2nd

Royal

Fusi-

Hers,

ist

Lancashire

Fusiliers,

ist

Royal

Munster

Fusiliers,

and

ist

Royal

Dublin

Fusiliers)

—

sailed

to

Tenedos,

where

we

lay

on the

24th,

and

completed

necessary

transfers

of

men

and

warships,

etc.

Half

Battalion

Royal

Fusiliers

and

Headquarters

went

on

board H.

M.S.

Implacable

about

7

p.m.,

from

which

ship

we

had

been

practising getting

into

boats,

and so

on;

the other

Half

Battalion,

under

Brandreth,

spent

the

night

on

two Fleet

mine-sweepers.

At about

10.30

p.m.

the

brigade

and

warships

all

sailed

for

the

peninsula,

arriving

there

by night.

We

had

a

good

breakfast

on

Implacable

at

3.30

a.m.

We

then

proceeded

to

load

up

the

boats,

four

tows

of

six

boats

each

and a

steam

pinnace,

twenty-five

to

thirty

men

in

each

boat,

besides

the six

bluejackets

to

row

when the

pinnace

cast

us off.

April

25.

—

At

4.45

a.m.

the

bombardment

by

the

Fleet

began,

twelve

or

fourteen

battleships,

including

Queen

Elizabeth

with her

15-inch

guns,

all

blazing

away,

a

tremendous

din,

but

nothing

to

when

we

landed.

At

about

5.15

a.m.

we

started

off in

our

tows,

with

our

mother-ship.

Implacable,

in

the

middle,

like

a most

majestic

eagle

and

her

brood.

^

e

e A

6

•

.

?

•

fl

Steam

Pinnaces

Boats

HJ^5

A

'^^P'^'^'-

J

The

Captain

of

the

Implacable, Lockyer,

was

splen-

did

—

they

were

all

top-hole;

he

had his anchor

over



56

WITH THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

the

bows

with

a

bit of

spar,

and

took

his

ship

right

in

along

with

our

boats

till

the anchor

dragged

;

we

all

thought

it

splendid,

and

it most

undoubtedly

saved

us

many

losses

in

the

boats

and

landing.

All

the

officers

and men

of

Implacable

were most

awfully

good

to

us,

they

fed

the

men

in

the

evening

and

gave

them

a

splendid

meal at

3.30

in

the

morning,

which

made

all

the difference

to

them in the bad time

coming.

However,

to

continue

:

while

we

(W

and

X

Com-

panies)

were

being

towed

towards

our beach called

"X,"

the

remaining

Half

Battalion,

Y

and

Z

Com-

panies,

on

the

mine-sweeper,

were

coming

on

;

they

were

to

come in as far

as

the vessel could

go,

and then

be landed

by

the same boats

which

had

put

us

ashore.

As

we

got

to

shore

the

Implacable

raised her

sights

and

fired

further

over

our

heads.

We

got

off"

very lightly

while

getting

ashore;

I

can

only

put

it

down

largely

to

the

way

our

mother-ship

plastered

the

beach

for

us

at

close

range

;

however,

we

had

our

bad

time later

on.

About

100

yards

from

the

shore

the

launches cast us off

and

we

rowed

in

for

all

we

were worth

till

the

boats

grounded,

then

jumped

into

the

water,

up

to our chests

in

some

places,

w^aded

ashore

and

swarmed

up

the

cliff,

very

straight

but,

fortunately,

soft

enough

for

a

good

foot-

hold.

We

then

came

under

fire

from

front

and

both

flanks.

I

sent one

company,

under Frank

Leslie,

to

left

front

to hold

them

back

there,

and

one

straight

ahead and

to

the

right

front.

The

fire was

very

hot,

rifles,

machine

guns

and

shrapnel,

and our

losses

heavy

at

once.

I

can

never

say

half

enough

for

the

gallantry

of the

men

under these

trying

circumstances.

They

lost

most

of

the

leaders,

but

fought

on

splen-

didly

just

the same.

In

the

meantime,

the

other

Half

Battalion

was

landing

behind

us.

I

had

orders to

join

up

with

the

Lancashire

Fusiliers,

who were

landed

on

"W"

beach,

I

knew

they

had had a

terrible time

in

the

boats,

as

they

were next

to us

going

ashore.

I

collected

all

I

could,

after

holding

the

left and

front



IN

GALLIPOLI

57

and

leaving

a

reserve

Company,

to

bring

ammunition,

water,

etc.,

up

the

cliff,

and

moved

to attack

Tekke

Hill

;

this

we

eventually

captured

on

our

side with the

bayonet,

losing

heavily,

at

about

noon.

The

Im-

placable

was so

close

in

that

we

heard her crew

cheer-

ing

us after

the

attack.

I

got signal

communication with

the

brigade

about

7

a.m.,

and

with the

K.O.S.B.

at

"

Y

"

beach

later,

to

say

they

and

the

R.N.D.

Battalion had

landed

but

could

not

join

up

with us.

I

also learned

that

the

landing

on

"V"

beach

was

rather

hung

up.

It

was,

therefore,

most

important

to

hang

on

to

our bit.

About

3

p.m.

our

centre,

which

was

unavoidably

rather

weak,

was

being

driven

back.

I

got

a

message

to

"X

"

beach,

where

87th

Brigade

were now

landing,

and

eventually

we were

supported

by

some of

the

Border

Regiment.

I

had

been

wounded

earlier,

and

now

managed,

with

the

help

of

Crowther,

my

servant,

to

get

into

cover

and

get

"first

aided."

Incidentally

we

were

very nearly

cut

off,

but

just

saved the

situation

by

the

arrival

of

the

Borderers.

We

lost

Frank

Leslie,

Scudamore,

Brickland,

de

Trafford

killed,

and

twelve

other officers

wounded,

before

early

afternoon.

Our

brigade

was

temporarily

"washed

out,"

the

remains

of

my

Battalion

joining

the

Hampshire

Regiment

to

form

one

Battalion.

On

May

10 we

had

lost

20 officers and

about

800

men.

I

am able

to

publish

the

following

accounts

of

the

landing

on

"W"

beach,

later

known

as

Lancashire

landing, by

three senior officers

of

the ist Lancashire

Fusiliers

who were afterwards

killed.

"As the

boats touched

the

shore,

a

very heavy

and

brisk

fire

was

poured

into

us,

several

officers and men

being

killed and wounded

in

the

entanglements,



58

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

through

which

we were

trying

to

cut

a

way.

Several

of

my

company

were with

me

under

the

wire,

one

of

my

subalterns

was

killed

next

to

me,

and

also

the

Avire-cutter

who

was

lying

the

other

side

of

me.

I

seized

his

cutter

and

cut

a small

lane

myself

through

which

a

few

of

us broke

and

lined

up

under the

only

available

cover

procurable,

a

small sand

ridge

covered

with

bluffs

of

grass.

I

then

ordered fire

to

be

opened

on the

crests,

but

owing

lo

submersion

in

the

water

and

dragging

rifles

through

the

sand,

the

breech

mechanism

was

clogged,

thereby rendering

the

rifles

ineffective.

The

only

thing

left

to

do

was

to

fix

bayonets

and

charge

up

the

crests,

which was done

in

a

very gallant

manner,

though

we

suffered

greatly

in

doing

so.

However,

this

had the effect

of

driving

the

enemy

from his

trenches,

which we

immediately

occu-

pied.

After

a

pause

to

reorganize

the

men

we

ad-

vanced,

but

were

met

with

heavy

fire from

further

positions.

One

company

was

pushed

onto

a

flank,

and

thus

we succeeded

in

forcing

the

enemy

back.

Towards

evening

we

made

slight

progress

forward,

when

we

got

up

entrenching

tools

and

dug

in. Dur-

ing

the

night

a violent

counter-attack

was made

by

the

enemy against

us.

But

we

stood

firm

and

drove

them

back

again.

Our

casualties were

very heavy.

In

my

company

alone

I

had

95

casualties

out of

205

men.

One

of

my

platoons

captured

13

Turks

in

one

trench. The officers

and

men who were killed were

buried

together,

close

to

the

beach

in an

enclosure.

We

are

now much reduced

in

strength,

but

the

spirit

of the

old

corps

is

just

as

strong

as ever

it

was."

Major

Adams,

who

wrote

this

account,

was buried

just

above

the

beach

on

May

1

1

.

The

regiment

at

one

time

hoped

to erect

a

permanent

monument

on

the

beach

to

their

comrades

who

fell

there.

He

was

much

beloved

by

his

regiment,

and

led his

company

very

gallantly

till

his

end.

He

had been

twenty-five

years

in

the

regiment.



:MH$'^

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>

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pi

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o

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IN

GALLIPOLI

59

From

a letter

from

Captain

H.

R.

Clayton

who

was

killed on

June

28

:

—

"At

3

a.m.

the

morning

of the

25th

of

April

we

had

reveille

and

breakfast

about

3.30

a.m.

At

5.30

we

had

to

be

all

ready,

and

paraded

and

started

to

get

into

the

ship's

boats,

each

containing

forty-five,

including

sailors

to

row.

There

were several

pinnaces,

and

each

towed

four

boats.

As the sun

rose

straight

in

our

eyes

over the

place

we

had

to

land,

the

pinnaces

started

for

the

shore with

about

100

yards

between,

and

each

tow-

ing

its four

boats.

During

this

time

the

ship's

guns

were

pouring

shells

on

the

land. We

thought

nothing

could

live,

but

as

a matter

of

fact

they

bombarded

rather

too

far

inland,

and the

trenches

overlooking

the

landing

beaches

were

not

touched,

though

some

yards

of

barbed

wire on the

beaches

were torn

up.

About

200

yards

from

the

beach

the

pinnaces

slipped

the

boats

and

the

sailors

rowed for

the

shore.

Can

you

imagine

us

packed

in

our

boats

quite

defenceless,

get-

ting

nearer

and

nearer

and

wondering

when

Hell

would

be

let

loose

?

"They

let

us

off

a

lot,

thank

God,

as

they

did

not

fire

until

the

boats

began

to

ground,

and

the

rifies

and

machine

guns

poured

into

us

as

we

got

out

of

the

boats

and

made

for

the

sandy

shore.

There

was tremen-

dously

strong

barbed

wire

where

my

boat

landed.

Men

were

being

hit

in

the

boats

and

as

they

splashed

ashore.

I

got

up

to

my

waist

in

water,

tripped

over

a

rock

and

went

under,

got

up

and

made for the

shore

and

lay

down

by

the

barbed

wire.

There

was a

man

there before

me

shouting

for

wire-cutters.

I

got

mine

out,

but

could

not make

the

slightest

impression.

The

front of

the

wire

by

now

was

a

thick

mass

of

men,

the

majority

of

whom

never

moved

again.

The

trenches

on

the

right

raked

us

and

those

above

us

raked

our

right,

while

trenches

and

machine

guns

fired

straight

down

the

valley.

The

noise

was

ghastly

and the

sights

horrible.

I

eventually

crawled

through

the

wire

with



60

WITH

THE TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

great

difficulty,

as

my

pack

kept

catching

on the

wire,

and

got

under a

small

mound which

actually

gave

us

protection.

The

weight

of our

packs

tired

us,

so

that

we

could

only

gasp

for

breath. After

a

little

time

we

fixed

bayonets

and started

up

the clifTs

right

and

left.

On the

right

several were

blown

up

by

a

mine. When

we

started

up

the

cliff

the

enemy

went,

but

when we

got

to the

top

they

were

ready

and

poured

shot

on

us.

After

a

breather

in the

enemy

trenches

above,

we

pushed

on

along

the

open

and

had an awful

time.

The

place

was

strewn.

I

could

see

them

being

shot

all

round

as we

lay

before

advancing again.

To make

matters worse when

I

got

ashore

on

landing

I

got

out

my

glasses

to

look

about,

but

they

were full of water

and

I

could

see

nothing

;

my

watch

stopped

and has

not

gone

since;

the men's

rifles

were so

clogged

with

sand

that

they

could

not use

them."

The

following

letter

is

from

Major Shaw,

of

the

I

St

Lancashire

Fusiliers,

to his brother.

Major

Shaw

was killed

on

June

4.

"What

can

one

say,

and where can one

begin,

after

ten

days

and

nights

of

hundreds

of hairbreadth

escapes

from

death

?

To-day

is

the first time since

landing

that

I have

been out

of

the

firing

line

night

or

day,

and

when

I

say

the

firing

line

I

mean

the

enemy

never

more

than 1000

yards

from

one. Put

your

head

up

out of the

trench,

whizz

goes

a bullet

from

an

invisible

sniper

with

telescopic

sights;

walk

about

outside,

and

bang

goes

a

shrapnel

close

to

you.

The word

is,

'

Get

in

and

get

under;

dig

like mad.'

I

write this

in

a

dug-out

in

the

Divisional

Reserve,

with

an

unpleasant

dust-storm

blinding

me.

To-day

is

a

holiday,

and

I

have been

to

the

sea

and had

a

swim

;

my

last wash

was

on board

a

battleship.

Plenty

of

rations,

not

much

water,

no

marching,

but

nervous

exhaustion,

and

no

sleep,

that

is the trouble as

of

yore.

I

always

have

and

still

contend

that

you

cannot

get

used

to

being

under

fire;

it

is

purely

a

case

of

hardening

your-



^



IN

GALLIPOLI 61

self for

the

worst

and

shoving along.

This

is not

trench

warfare.

We

have

been

in

the

open

till

a

few

days ago,

and

are

just

on the

defensive

pro

tern.

If

we

move

we

expect

to

gain

at least two

miles

of

country.

The

enemy

have been

hurling

themselves

against

our trenches

nightly.

Rockets

going,

guns

banging,

and a

roar

of

rapid

fire

commencing

at

dusk

and

ceasing

at

dawn.

The

last time

(night

before

last)

they

had

a

real

go

at

us.

We did

well

:

heaped up

200

dead and

captured

lOO.

Our

small

band

of

remnants

cannot be

budged.

We

hardly

lost

a

soul

in

this effort.

I

was

very

pleased.

The

second

day

in attack

I

was

sniped

in

the

fleshy

part

of

the

right

knee

—

clean

hole,

but

not lamed

much,

so have

not

been

out

of action

or

reported

wounded,

and

am

now

healed

up.

The

enemy

got

through

the British

line

once,

and the French once

by

night,

but

were

ejected

by

the

reserves,

so no

harm

done. Shouts

of

'

Allah

Allah

'

and

terrific

uproar;

most

exciting

this

was.

I

only

wished at

the

time

you

could

have been

with

me

to

see it.

I

suppose

by

the

time

you

get

this our

historical

landing

will have been written

up

in the

papers.

The

Naval

johnnies say

we

accomplished

the

impossible,

and

the

name of that

bay

is

to

be the

*

Lancashire Landir

.</

in

our

honour.

I

hate even

thinking

about

that

scene

of

carnage,

but,

to

oblige

you,

I

will unburden

myself

for

the last

time

while

I

have the

chance.

The

Euryalus

did

everything they

could

to

make

us

comfortable

that

night,

and after

a

good

breakfast we took

to

the

boats

at

4

a.m.

The

fleet

closed

in

at

daybreak,

not

a

breath of

wind,

a

beautiful

warm

summer

morning,

most

peaceful

scene,

and as

it

grew

lighter

we

clearly

discerned

the

land

about

two miles off.

We

knew

well

we

were

in

for

a

dangerous

venture

;

everybody

was

in a

state

of

ten-

sion,

but

quite

cheerful,

especially

the boat's

crew.

I

had six

sailors

(three

killed,

I

hear),

and

thirty-five

men

of

my

Company,

Headquarters Q.M.S.,

Ser-

geant-Major,

Rangetakers,

Signallers,

Observers,

and

2nd

Captain

Maunsell.

They

(the

Headquarters)

are



62

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

all

casualties

—

1

believe

killed.

My

boat

was in

the

centre

of

the

line.

The

ships

started a

tremendous

bombardment,

and

kept

it

up

as

the

steam

pinnaces

towed

us ashore.

The

enemy

made

no

reply;

the

place

might

have

been

deserted.

About

200

yards

from

the

beach

the tows

were

cast off

and

the

boats

shot

ahead in

line,

and

the

sailors

rowed

like mad.

At

about 100

yards

from

the

beach

the

enemy

opened

fire,

and

bullets

came

thick all

round,

splashing

up

the

water.

I

didn't see

any

one

actually

hit in

the

boats,

though

several

were; e.g.

my

Quartermaster-

Sergeant

and

Sergeant-Major

sitting^

next to

me

;

but

we

were

so

jammed

together

that

you

couldn't

have

moved,

so

that

they

must

have been

sitting

there

dead.

As

soon

as

I

felt

the boat

touch,

I

dashed

over

the side

into three

feet

of

water

and

rushed

for

the

barbed

wire

entanglement

on

the

beach;

it

must

have

been

only

three feet

high

or

so,

and

three

bays,

because

I

got

over

it

amidst

a

perfect

storm

of

lead

and

made

for

cover,

sand

dunes

on

the

other

side,

and

got

good

cover. I

then

found

Maunsell

and

only

two

men

had

followed me.

On

the

right

of

me

on

the cliff

was

a

line

of Turks in a

trench

taking

pot

shots at

us,

ditto

on

the

left.

I

looked

back.

There

was

one

soldier

between me

and

the

wire,

and

a

whole

line in a

row on

the

edge

of the

sands.

The

sea

behind

them

was

absolutely

crimson,

and

you

could

hear

the

groans

through

the

rattle

of

musketry.

A

few

were

firing.

I

signalled

to

them

to

advance.

I

shouted

to

the

soldier behind

to

signal,

but he

shouted

back,

'

I

am

shot

through

the

chest.'

I

then

perceived

they

were

all

hit.

I

took

a

rifle

from

one

of

the

men

with

me

and

started

in

at

the

men

on

the

cliff

on

my

right,

but

could

only

fire

slowly,

as

I

had

to

get the

bolt

open

with

my

foot

—

it

was

clogged

with

sand.

About

this

time

Maunsell

was

shot

dead

next

to

me.

Our

men

now

began

to

scale

the

cliffs

from

the

boats

on

the

outer

flanks,

and

I

need

only

add it

was

a

capital

sight.

They

carried

the

trenches

at

the

top

at

the

point

of

the

bayonet

:

there was

some

desperate

work



IN

GALLIPOLI

63

up

there.

In

the trench

I

had

been

firing

at,

the

enemy

touched

off a

land

mine

just

too

soon,

but the

people

near

it,

I

hear,

are

deprived

of

speech,

and

deaf.

This

released

me,

and

I

collected

about

thirty

men

and

pushed

on

up

the

hollow to

my

objective,

point

318,

where

I

got

about

5

p.m.

After

some

further

hair-raising

experiences,

we entrenched there

for

the

night.

I

shall

not

re-read this.

I

hate

to think

about

it.

Perhaps

some

time,

if

I

am

spared

to

join

you,

we

may go

over

it

again

together,

so

please

do

not

destroy

it

or

have

it

published.

"

I

fear

we

are

in for

a

wet

night

when

this dust

ceases.

It

is hot

by day,

and

very

cold

about

5

a.m.

I

generally

get

up

and beat

my

arms

a

la cabman about

this

time.

It is

a shame

to

fight

here.

It is

highly

cultivated

:

vines,

corn,

and

patches

of

heather,

and

all

sorts

of

wnld flowers.

The trees

are

very

small,

only

twelve

to

fifteen feet

high.

All the

farm-houses

are

blown

to

blazes.

Be

happy

and comfortable

at

home.

You

miss

the

excitement,

but

you

are

spared

much.

Hoping

you

are

all

well,

as

I am so

far,

and

with

love

to

every

one."

Sir

Ian

Hamilton,

writing

to

a

friend,

commenting

on

this

letter,

says

—

"I have

mentioned

Captain

Shaw's

name

in

my

second

dispatch,

so his

gallantry

will

not

go

unre-

corded.

As to

his account

written

on

May

5,

it

is

the

most live comment on

the

subject

of

the

landing

I

have

seen. Now

that

the

gallant

fellow

is

no

more,

I

cer-

tainly strongly

think

you ought

to have

it

published,

for

surely

the

embargo

was

only

meant

to

prevent

the

bloom

being

taken

off

the

story

before

the

two

brothers

read it

together."

His

brother

entirely

agrees

with

this

last

sentence.



CHAPTER

VI

ON CAPE

HELLES

(May

1—5)

Saturday,

May

i.

—

I

have

left

my

diary

unwritten

for

a

fortnight,

and

don't

know how

I

shall ever

catch

up

or

give

any

connected

or

clear account

of

what has

happened.

I

could write

volumes

if

there were

time.

We

anchored

close

off "W"

beach,

now

known as

Lancashire

landing,

owing

to the

fact that

the

L.F.'s

led the

way

and secured

the

landing

there

on

Sunday,

April

25,

leaving

over

a hundred men

dead on the

beach.

It is

inconceivable,

seeing

the

coast,

how

they

ever

managed

to

land.

The

whole

story

will

be written

some

day,

and as

I

can

only give

it second-hand

it

is

hardly

worth

while

to

repeat

it

here.

But we

could

not

manage

to

get

ashore

that

day.

I decided

to

stay

with

the

Field

Ambulance,

and

land

when

they

did.

One

boat-load

managed

to

get

ashore,

but there

was no

room for

me,

and

they

returned

later

with

news

and

some

naval officers

and

engineers

also

came

aboard,

and at

last we heard

what

had

actually

happened,

the

absolutely

desperate

affair the

landing

had

been,

and

the

appalling

cost

of it

all.

I

was

relieved

to hear

that

the

R.F.'s

had

not

lost

as

heavily

as

we

had

first

heard,

and that

some

450

men

and

ten officers

were

still

left,

and

that

the

L.F.'s,

though

they

had fewer

men,

had

all

their

senior

officers

left.

The

Dublins

were

the

worst,

with

only

one

officer

and

300

odd

men

64



WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

65

left.

Occasional

shells

were

still

dropping

about

the

beach.

The

camp

was

becoming

a

very

busy

sight,

roads

being

made

and

stores

of

all

kinds,

guns,

horses,

wagons,

etc.,

being

landed.

Sunday,

May

2.

—

We anchored

very

much

closer in

and

started

unloading.

I

had

services

on board

in

the

morning,

and

eventually

decided

I

could

wait no

longer,

and

went

ashore

with

all the kit

I

could

carry

in

the afternoon.

Some

of

the

Field

Ambulance

had

landed,

and

I

left

my

things with

them and

found

H

,

with

the

88th

Field Ambulance next door.

He

said he

had been

having

a

most terrible

time. He

had

just

come

back from

the

trenches,

where he had

been

caught

all

night

in

the middle

of

a

big

battle. The

Turks had

been

attacking

all

the

time,

and shells

had

been

bursting

all

round

them.

They

had

been

repulsed

with

considerable

loss.

He

had

gone

out

to

hold

a

Celebration,

but of

course

any

service

had

been

impos-

sible. He had

landed

the first

day

and been

through

everything,

and

had,

like

every

one

else,

a

harrowing

time.

L

,

the

Wesleyan

chaplain,

was

also

there.

They

had

mostly

been

helping

the

Field

Ambulance

and

dressing

the

wounded.

We

walked

up

to

the

hill

behind

the

camp

and

watched

the

battle.

Practically

no

progress

had

been

made since the

Wednesday.

Achi Baba

had

been

very strongly

fortified,

and

is

a

network

of

trenches

and

barbed

wire,

with

machine

guns

and

artillery

everywhere.

We

then

walked

over

to

"V

"

beach,

now

only

used

by

the

French,

where the

Dublins

and

Munsters

had

landed

and

lost

so

terribly.

There

is

a

ruined

castle

and

village

there,

and the

tramp

steamer,

the

River

Clyde,

which

has been

run

aground,

and

from which

the

landing

had

been

made

with

such

disastrous

results

to

the

Dublins.

Even

poor

Finn,

the

R.C.

chaplain,

had

been

killed,

being



6G

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

ordered

to

land

in

the

first

boat.(^)

There

we

met

K

—

the

R.C.

chaplain

of the

Munsters,

who

had been

up

in

the

firing

line

with

his

regiment

the

whole

time since

landing,

and

had

just

come

away

for

a

short

change.

We

returned

to

camp

later

to

find

a

message

had

come

in

to

ask

a

chaplain

to

go

out

and

bury

some

artillery

officers.

So

R

,

H

,

and

myself

set

out

at dusk

along

the

Krithia

road,

and went

about

one

and

a half

miles

to some

pillars,

and

made

inquiries

for

the

burial-

party

everywhere,

but could

get

no

directions.

Then

a

battle

commenced.

We

were

close

to

the

French

lines,

among

a

lot

of

trees,

and

the

French

75

's started

blazing

away

close

to

us,

and the

whole

place

was

in

a

perfect

din as

the

Turks

replied

and the

ships

joined

in.

It

became

quite

dark,

and

as

we

could

find

out

nothing

we

decided

it

was

more

expedient

to retire.

We

had

to walk

right

into the mouth of

the French

guns,

which

was

fairly alarming.

Everywhere

carts

and

wagons,

with

Indians, French,

and

English,

were

going

up

to

the

firing

line

with

supplies

and ammuni-

tion. We

passed

a

battalion

of

the

Naval

Division

waiting

to

go

up

to

the

firing

line.

They

looked

such

boys,

and

seemed

very

bewildered.

I

felt so

sorry

for

them.

I

expected

to

feel

much

more

alarmed

than

I

did.

I

could

only

feel

what

an

utterly

senseless and

wasteful

thing

war was.

But

it

was

all

pretty

miser-

able.

The

battle

raged

harder

and

harder.

When

we

got

back

the

other

two went to

bed,

but

I

wandered about

the

camp

a

little

and

got

my dug-out ready.

I

had

got

all

my

kit

ashore.

It

turned

pretty

cold

at

night.

The

88th Field Ambulance

was

immediately

next

to

ours.

They

had not

got

ours

into

working

order

yet.

But

about

II

p.m.

in

poured

the

wounded

to

the

88th,

and

about

25

came

at once.

Their tents were

alreadv

full



IN

GALLIPOLI

67

and

they

had

used

up

all

their

blankets,

and

for

some

time

these

poor

wretches

had

to

be

left

lying

in

the

open.

I

went

round

a

little,

but

there

was

a

good

deal

of

confusion,

and

as

it

was

not

my

Field

Ambulance

I

felt

I

should

only

be

interfering

and

could

do

no

good,

and

went

off

to

bed

feeling

pretty

miserable.

(^)

I

leave

this

as

I

wrote

it

at the time.

I have

since

heard

that

Father

Finn

asked

to

be

allowed

to

land

with

his

men,

and

had

been

put

into

one

of

the

first

boats,

and

was

shot

either

getting

off

the

boat

or

imme-

diately

after

getting

ashore.

The

men

never

forgot

him

and were

never tired

of

speaking

of

him.

I

think

they

felt

his death

almost

more than

anything^

that

happened

in

that terrible

landing

oflf

the River

Clyde.

I am

told

they

kept

his

helmet

for

a

very

long

time

after

and

carried

it

with

them

wherever

they

went.

It

seemed

to

me that

Father

Finn

was

an instance

of

the

extraordinary

hold

a

chaplain,

and

perhaps

especi-

ally

an

R.C.,

can

have on the

affections

of

his men

if he

absolutely

becomes

one

of

them

and shares their

danger.

At

a

chaplains'

meeting

held some

weeks

later,

two,

a

Presbyterian

and

an

R.C.,

undertook

to see

that

Father

Finn's

grave

was

properly

tended.

He

was

buried close

to the

sea on

"

V

"

beach,

and

a

road

had

been

made

over

the

place.

I

think

they

managed

to

get

the

grave

marked

off

with

a

little

fence.

Monday, May

3.

—

I

awoke

to

find the wounded

had

mostly

been

sfo.ved

away

under

some

sort

of

shelters,

but

there

were crowds

of

them

lying

about. The

rest

of

my

Field Ambulance

had

not

landed

yet.

So after

hanging

about

a

bit

I

went

over to

"X"

beach

where

the R.F.'s had

landed,

and

found E the

quarter-

master,

lie

greeted

me

with the sad

news

of

Shafto's

(the adjutant)

and

Anstice's

(-)

deaths. Would

I

go

up



68

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

and

bury

them

? Of

course.

The

regiments

had

just

come

into

reserve,

and

he

said

he

was

going

up

him-

self,

so

off

we

went

about

one

and

a

half miles

inland,

and

found

what

was

left

of

them

—

six

officers

and

435

men

—

in

a

vineyard.

They

had

just

come

out

of

the

firing

line for

the

first

time since

landing.

But

they

were

wonderfully

cheerful.

It

was

quite

a

joy

to be

with

them

again.

They

had

just

lost

four

officers,

Shafto

and Anstice

killed,

M

and

B

wounded,

and this

left

J

in

command,

and

Mundy

as ad-

jutant,

Hugget

as

machine-gun

officer,

and

with

Z

,

T

,

and

G

they

made

a

very

happy

little

family.

(^)

J

has

made

a

simply

capital

CO.,

and

was

full of

praise

of

Mundy.

Of

course

all

were

over-

whelmed

by

Shafto's

death. He

was

a universal

favourite

and

a

particularly

charming

man. He

had

already

been

buried,

and

his

grave

was

near

the

firing

line,

so

I

could

not

very

well

get

there.

("*)

They

were

very

delighted

to

see

me.

I

next

saw

the

brigade

staff.

Colonel

of

the

South

Wales

Borderers

was

acting

as

Brigadier,

as

the

general

had been wounded

the

first

day,

and

F

,

whom

I

was

delighted

to

find

alive,

was

Brigade-Major

in

place

of

Frankland(^)

who

had

been

shot landing.

I

made

my

way

up

towards the

firing

line to

a

gully

—

or

nullah,

as

they

are

called

here

—

only

about

500

yards

behind

it,

where

N

of the

R.F.'s,

and

O

of

the

L.F.'s

had

their

regimental

dressing-stations.

There was

an

absolute

lull

in

the

battle

all

day.

The

Turks

were

out

everywhere,

burying

their

dead,

with

white

flags,

and

our

men

were

walking

about

cooking

their

meals

in

the

firing

line,

and

it

was

a

wonderfully

peaceful

scene.

I

found

N

absolutely

tired out.

He had had a

very

trying

time

ever

since

landing,

and

been under

fire

practically

all

the

time. I

said,

as

his



<

7;

<

u

•J

o

a:



IN

GALLIPOLI

60

regiment

was

in

reserve,

he

had

much better come

down

to

the

beach

with

me

and see

the

Field Am-

bulance, which,

as

it

had

not

landed,

had

been

unable

to

help

him.

It seemed ridiculous his

staying

up

there. So

he

walked

down to the

beach

with

me and

his servant

and

two sick

men.

He had

been

thoroughly

shaken,

and

no

wonder,

poor

fellow—no

sleep,

con-

stant

fighting,

and

all

alone

with

the

stretcher-bearers

and

servant,

all

of

whom

I

think had

imposed upon

him.

We

found

that

the

Field

Ambulance

had

at

last

all

landed.

The shock

of

landing

had

been

so

great

they

had

not

been

able

to

adjust

themselves.

Practically

all

on

the

Brigade

Staff

had

gone,

and

no

one

seemed

to

know

what

to

do. It

was all

rather

terrible.

Well,

I

got

my

things

and

returned

to

the

regiment

with

N

for

the

night.

We moved

his

aid

post

to

a

place

some

way

behind

the

reserve

trenches,

as

it

turned

out worse

than

where he

had

been

before,

and

he

had

the

worst

night

of

all,

poor

fellow. I

lay

in

a

dug-out

with

three

other

officers.

But

I

did

not

sleep

a

wink. I

could

not

have

imagined

such

a

shindy.

It

started

about

9.15

and

went on

till

6.15

next

morning,

and the

longest

pause

I

counted

was six

seconds

when

there

was no

firing.

In

the

trenches

the

firing

of

rifles

and

machine

guns

was

ceaseless

the

whole

night.

The

ships'

guns

and

our field

artillery

were

firing

intermittently

all

night.

One

gun

close

to

us

made

a

terrible

row.

About

one

mile

away

the

French

75

's

were

going

all

the

time,

some-

times

firing,

as

we

timed

it,

as

many

as

fifty

rounds

a

minute.

Then,

of

course,

the

Turks

were

replying

all

the

time

with

shrapnel.

One,

at

least,

I

saw

burst

just

above

us,

but most

burst behind

or

to

our

left,

where

I

discovered

one

or

two



70

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

in

the

trenches.

The others

slept

peacefully

through

it

all,

they

were so

worn

out. It was

a

strange

experi-

ence.

I

did

not

feel

particularly

alarmed,

but

the

night

seemed

pretty

interminable

and

the noise

only

to

get

more

terrific

towards

morning.

I

got

up

and

watched

the

shrapnel bursting

everywhere.

But

we

have

all

discovered

by

now

that

the Turkish

shrapnel

does

very

little

damage

except

during

an

actual

advance

at

close

range.

I doubt

if

ours

does

much more.

Provided

you

are well

dug

in

you

seem

pretty

secure

against everything.

It

is

only

during

an advance

that

men

get badly

cut

up.

The

snipers

have been

terribly

bad.

They

are

painted

green

and

hide

in

holes

in

the

ground

surrounded

by

branches,

and have

masses of

ammunition,

food,

and water

with

them,

and

just

wait

their

opportunity

to

pick

off

people.

But

I

am at-

tempting

only

to

give

a

first-hand

account,

and

if I

were

to

tell

everything

I

hear

I

would never

stop.

As

far

as

I

could

make

out

all

that

night's

cannonade had

effected

nothing,

except

a

few

wounded on

our

side.

Of

course

we

could

not know how much

damage

it

had

done to

the Turks.

But

I

think

it had

been

mainly

the

result

of alarm.

(^)

It

is

always interesting

hearing

the

men's

opinions

of

their

officers.

I

do

not

think

I

heard

any

one

spoken

more

highly

of

by

the

men of

the

Royal

P^usiliers

than

young

Anstice.

Over and over

again

during

the sub-

sequent

weeks

they

would

say

to me: "You

should

have

seen

Mr.

Anstice

I

reckon

he deserves

the

V.C.

if

any

one

does.

There

was

nothing

he

would

not

do

for

his men.

Why,

I

saw him

myself

working

like

a

nigger,

and

much

harder than

any

of the

men,

carrying

ammunition,

water and

rations,

going

about

all

up

and

down

the line

without

a

sign

of

fear.

And we

none

of

us

thought

he

had

it

in

him.

But

they

never

stop



IN GALLIPOLI

71

talking

about

him

now.

We are

all

changing

our

opinions

about

many

people

out here."

(^)

I

think

nothing

throughout

my

time

on

the

pen-

insula

struck

me

as

so

remarkable

as

the

way

in

which

this

handful of

officers,

with

a

junior captain

as

CO.,

and

little

more

than

a

boy

as

adjutant,

handled their

regiment

after

the

harrowing

experiences

they

had

been

through.

They

entered

into it

with

such zest

and worked

tremendously

hardy

overlooking

nothing.

Mundy,

who

acted

as

adjutant,

seemed

to

think

of

everything.

The smallest detail

did

not

escape

him.

His

map-drawing

was

remarkable,

and

the

quick

way

in

which he

grasped

a

situation and

saw

what

was

the

best

thing

to

do

showed

that

he

had

real

military

genius.

And

perhaps

the

most remarkable

part

was

that

previously

none

of

his

brother

officers

realized

he

had

it

in him.

War

seems to

bring

out

so

many

latent

qualities.

And

the

way

in

which

J

handled

the

regiment,

the

wisdom

and

tactfulness

he

showed,

his

power

of

winning immediately

the

confidence of

officers

and

men

alike,

the

sane,

calm

judgment

he

displayed

throughout,

are

beyond

all

praise.

I

can

only

say

that under them

the

regiment,

though

so

terribly

de-

pleted

in

numbers,

made not

only

an

exceedingly

happy

and

enthusiastic

family,

but

a

really

valuable

fighting

unit.

(*)

It

was

a

deep

regret

to

me that

I was

unable to

bury

him.

However,

I

had

decided

to

go

at

the

first

opportunity

with

some

of

the

other

officers and hold

a

service

at

the

grave.

But

he

w^as

buried in a

very

exposed

spot

and

this was

impossible.

It

was

not

till

July

10,

practically my

last

day

on

the

peninsula,

that

this

was

possible,

as

is

recorded

later.

I

do

not

think

I

met

any

officer

who won

every

one's

affections

so

quickly

as

Captain

Shafto,

the

adjutant

of

the

Royal

Fusiliers.

Officers

of

many

regiments

in

the Division

would ask

:

Who

is that

delightful adju-

tant

v/ith

a

smile

always

on

his

face,

who is

always

ready

to

do

anything

for

any

one

?

Many

is

the

time

I

worried him

mvself,

but

I

never

saw

him



72

WITH

THE TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

provoked

or

put

out.

He

was

always

at

every

one's

disposal.

(^)

Major

F'rankland

was

quite

one of

the

finest

officers

who came

out

with

the

Division.

He had been out

in

France

since

the

beginning

of the

war,

and

when

he

returned to

take

over

duty

as

Brigade-Major

of

the

86th

Brigade

he was

very

much overstrained

and

suffering

from

sleeplessness.

However,

he

threw

him-

self

into his

work

with

indefatigable

zeal,

and was

always

at the

service

of

any

one

who

came to

him.

The

voyage

out

considerably

rested

him,

and it

was

with a

fiery

enthusiasm

that

he

went

off

to

the

landing.

The

Brigade

Staff

landed

on

"W"

beach.

When

Frankland

saw

the terrible time

the

L.F.'s

were

having

he

went

straight

up

to

the

hill

on

the

right,

feeling

the

matter

was

becoming

almost

desperate,

and

utterly

fearlessly

walked

along

the

edge

of the

cliff

where

he

was killed. I

afterwards

saw

his

grave

just

at

the

top

of

the

steep

cliff

by

the

lighthouse.

Tuesday,

May 4.

—

In

the

morning

it

gradually

calmed

down.

I

had

breakfast

with

the

R.F.'s,

and

left

them

soon

after

preparing

to

return

to

the

firing-

line.

They

were

only

allowed

one

night's

rest.

I

felt

very

sad

to

say good-bye

to

them,

but

it

was

impossible

to

go

into

the

firing

line

with

them.

I walked

off

along

the

line

of the

Munsters

and

Dublins.

There

are

only

a few

Anglicans

among

them,

and

as

Father

K

was

there

I

did not

stop

much

to

talk to

the

men,

but

I

was loaded

up

with

a

number

of

letters

to

post

and commissions

of various

kinds. So

few

of them

were

left

that

they

had

been

joined

together

to

form

one

regiment,

"the

Dubsters."

Only

O'Hara,

a

young

lieutenant

of

about

twenty-

three,

was left

of

the

Dublin officers.

Ten

had been

killed,

the

rest

wounded.

He looked

very

harassed,

poor

boy

But

I

did

admire

him

for

having

stuck

it



<

u

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a

Z

a

u

-a

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2

z

z

H

.-;

«

a

-,

<

tn

>

a

^

J

a

f?

<

O

o

a



IN GALLIPOLI

7a

out

as

he

had.

He

said

he

did not

tcnow

how

he

had

got

through

it.

I

was

very

touched

by

him,

and

promised

to

do

anything-

I

could to

help.C^)

Then

I

returned

to

the

beach

and

determined

to

try

and

find

the

Colonel

of

the

R.F.'s,

w^ho

was wounded

and

supposed

to be

on one of

the

ships.

I

got

a boat

and

rowed

out

to the

C

.

An

elderly

man

also

got

in,

who

turned out to be

Josiah

Wedgwood,

who is out

here

with a

mounted

machine-gun

battery,

and

had

dismounted

some

of his

guns

and

been

in

the

firing

line

close

to the

French.

I

saw

a

number

of wounded

officers,

including

the

Colonel of

the

Inniskillings,

who

was

very

bad

indeed,

on

the C

,

and several who

were

only slightly

wounded

and

hoped

to be

back

soon,

but

I

could

not

find

the

Colonel of

the

R.F.'s.

Evidently

most of

the wounded

had

been taken

off to

Alexandria

and

Malta.

Then

I

got

on

a

mine-sweeper

and

had

some

supper.

The

whole

place

was a mass

of unwashed

wounded,

hobbling

about

uncared

for,

as

there were

only

four

doctors

on

board

and

they

ab-

solutely

overworked. The

mine-sweeper

was full

of

wounded

they

were

bringing

on

board.

There

seemed

a

tremendous

number

of

them.

A

very

large

propor-

tion

have been

slight

cases

fortunately,

but

I

did

long

to

be

able

to

give

the

men

a

good

wash and

a

change

of

clothes. Then

I

went

on board

the

A

,

where

I

found

M

and

T

both

expecting

to be

back

soon,

and

various others

officers.

They

keep

the mild

cases there.

I

hailed

a

steam

pinnace

which was

towing

a

number

of

wounded Turks

and

it

took

me

ashore.

C^)

I

think it

was

quite

wonderful

how

O'Hara

managed

to

get

through

those

first few

days.

He

most

thoroughly

deserved

the

D.S.O.,

which,

to

the

delight

of

all

who knew

him,

was

given

him

later.

Little



74

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

more

than

a

boy,

he

had

landed with

his

magnificent

regiment,

the

Dublins,

in the

most

terrible of all

the

landings

on

"V"

beach,

beneath

the

ruins

of Sed-ul-

Bahr,

which

was

full of

machine

guns

which

swept

the

beach,

and

the

most

appalling

wire

entanglements

were

spread

all

over.

The

next

day

they

had to

take

the

castle

with the

bayonet,

after

which

he found

himself

the

only

officer

left.

He

had

then

to

lead

what

was

left

of

his

regiment

up

into

the

centre

of the

firing

line,

and

remain

there

till

May

3.

He told

me

what

he

felt

most

was the

loneliness

of

it

all.

All

his

brother

officers

were

gone.

He

had

no

one

to

talk

to.

The

sergeant-major,

who

had

been

simply

splendid

and

his

right

hand,

was

killed

by

a

sniper

the

next

day.

O'Hara

told

me

he

felt

his whole

outlook

on

life

had

been

changed,

and he

could

never

be

the

same

again.

I

was

deeply grieved

to

hear

he

died of wounds

at

Suvla.

Extract

from

a

letter

of

the

Brigade-Major,

86th

Brigade,

dated

May

22,

1915,

regarding

the

2nd

Royal

Fusiliers

:

—

"Where

all have

done

well

the

Royal

Fusiliers

have

been

beyond

praise.

With

six

junior

officers

and

about

400

men

they

have never

lost

their

form

for

a

minute.

Not

only

have

they

always

done

what

might

have been

expected

of

them,

but

they

have

risen to

a

standard

of

soldiering

which

could

not

be

higher,

and

never

departed

from

it.

I

am

filled

with

admiration

for

them.

. .

.

The

Royal

Fusiliers,

as

I said

earlier,

have

done

magnificently.

They

have

lost

none

as

prisoners.

In

the

night

of

1/2

May,

when the

Turks

broke

our

line,

they

saved the situation

with the

bayonet."

Wednesday,

May

5.

—

After

hanging

round

camp

during

the

morning

(I

think

I

was

at

the

Casualty

Clearing

Station

[C.C.S.]

;

probably

I

also went

over

to

"X

"

beach

and saw

Harding)

I

went

up

to

the

L.F.'s,

who

had

come

out

into reserve

the

night

before.

I



IN

GALLIPOLI 75

found all the

senior

officers

still there.

They

had had

six

officers killed

;

but

only

a

little

over

300

men left.

They

were

very glad

to

see

me and

gave

me

various

commissions.

I

wandered

down

to

the

88th

Brigade

Headquarters.

The

brigades

were

all

being

changed.

I found

a

very

depressed

staff

-captain,

who

said,

"Where

are

the

padres?

Why

don't

they

come

and

see us?"

When

I

returned

to

the L.F.'s it was to

find

they

were to

go

off

to

the

firing

line

that

very

evening,

much

to

their

disgust.

I

said

good-night

to

them

as

they gradually

dribbled

off

to

escape

observa-

tion.

I

felt

very

gloomy

seeing

them

go

off,

and

returned

sad

and

depressed

to

camp.

From

a

letter dated

May

5

:

—

"

I

am

sending

a

large

batch

of

diary

which

I

hope

will

reach

you

some

day.

Of

course it

does

not

give

riews

since

I

landed,

which

I

managed

to do

at last

on

Sunday evening.

I

feel

I

could write

books

on

my doings

since then.

1

am

most

interested

to

find

how

all

my

horror

and

a

great

deal

of

my

cowardice

has

left me.

I

have

not

seen

any

particularly

grue-

some

sights

vet,

nor been

in

any

real

danger,

so

I have

not

had

a severe

testing.

I

think one

of

the

stupidest

things

about

the

inconceivably appalling stupidity

of

war

is

the

way

life

is

squandered

to

no

military

pur-

pose,

simply by

reasonable

precautions

being

neg-

lected.

I

suppose you

will

have

seen

the

casualty

lists.

Well,

I

forbear

all

comments.

I

am

quite

callous.

In

fact

the

strange thing,

I

find,

is that

I

am

really extremely happy,

though,

as

I

say,

I

have

not

had

anything

bad

to

shake

me.

There

is

more

good-

ness and

true

unselfishness and seriousness

about

on

this blood-stained

peninsula

than

there

is at

a

race-

meeting,

for

instance,

and

that

seems the

only thing

after

all

that

matters. It

is no

excuse

for

war,

but

it

makes

it

quite

possible

to

be

happy

in

it.

The

men,

especially

my

two

regiments,

are

really simply

won-



76

WITH


derful

after

what

they

have

been

through.

Men

who

were

at

Mons

say

that was

nothing

to

it.

One of

the

Irish

regiments

in

my brigade

has

only

one

officer

left.

I

don't

think

anything

more

ghastly

can

be

con-

ceived

than

the

landing.

The

great

thing,

in

my

opinion,

is

that the weather

has

been

so

fine

(though

the

nights

are

cold),

and

every

one

is

well.

I

feel

so

sorry

for

the

Turks,

because

I

am

sure

they

hate

it

all

so.

I

wish I could talk

to

their

wounded. Of

course

the

strain on

my

regiments

who

have

been in

the

firing

line

without one

night

out

since

they

landed

is

terrible,

especially

now

they

are

less

than

half

strength.

But

I

wish

you

could

have seen

the

junior

captain

of

one

regiment

who

was

left

in

command and

five

other officers

(out

of

tw^enty-four)

handle

their

regi-

ment,

as

I

saw

them do.

They

might

have

been

born

to

it.

But

officers

should

not be

married;

though

I

think

if

they

are

not

they

think

of

their

mothers

just

as

much.

"

I

am

coming

back

to

the

base

at

nights

now,

as

I

find

there

are

so

many

commissions

for me

to

under-

take

for

officers

and men

that

it is the

best

plan,

and

also I

can

do

better

if

I

sleep,

w^hich

was

utterly

im-

possible

in

that

shindy

on

Monday

night.

I

think,

if

I

might

perhaps

make

a

suggestion

to

everybody

who

cannot take a

direct

part

in

war,

it

is

that

there is

really

no

need

to feel

miserable

about it.

Of course

every-

body

hates

and loathes it

here

and

only

longs

for

it

to

finish,

but

I

think

the real

reason

is that

they

feel

it is

such

an

utter

misuse

of their

lives,

not

so

much

from

fear :

and

on

the

whole

nerves

are

wonderfully

absent.

I think

what

I

really

mean

to

say

is,

that

sin

and

evil alone

should make

us feel

miserable,

and

f

have

never felt their

absence

as

much

as since

I

landed

here.

If

people

lose

those

they

love,

may

they

not

have

at

least

the

supreme

consolation that

the

vast

majority

of

them

have died

better men

than

they

were

before

?

And

after

all

goodness

is

the

only

thing

that

matters,

is it

not

?

All

the

old

scriptural

phrases

seem

to have

a

new

meaning.

Men

are

born

again.

Their



IN GALLIPOLI

77

sins

are

forgiven

—

for

they

love

much.

All

are

kind

and

considerate

and

really

think least

of

themselves,

or

if

they

don't

the fact is

very

conspicuous

and

rare. Don't think

I don't

mind

these

dear

fellows

being

killed.

When

I

said

good-bye

to

one

regiment

which

had

at last

had

one

day

out

of

the

firing

line

and was

unexpectedly

ordered back

there while

I

was

with

them,

though

still

tired

out

and

longing

for

a

good

rest,

it

was

very

hard

—

I

cannot

tell

you

how

hard,

but

it

was not

depressing.

As

I

walk

about

and

the

guns

blaze

away

all

round,

and the

ships

pour

their

large

shells

onto

a

little

hill,

and

every

possible

con-

trivance

that

it seems

possible

to

imagine

is

being

put

into

use,

and

I

realize

the

labour,

and

time,

and

cost,

and brains

involved,

I

only

think of

the

waste

and

utter

madness and

stupidity

of it

all.

But

after

all

it

is

no

worse

than the

energy

expended

in

growing

rich.

Well,

I

seem

to

be

wandering,

but the

meaning

of

life

and

death

and

things

in

general

is

so

much

more

interesting

than

what

is

actually

happening

—

though

I

own that

has a

very

strong,

but

really

I

think

only

passing,

interest.

I

feel

my

experience

and

sympathies

so

tremendously

widened

during

the

last

three

days.

I

am afraid

I

shall

have

very

horrible

sights

to

see

soon,

as we

have

got

to

get

through

at

any

cost,

and

we all

know

what that means."



CHAPTER

VII

A

THREE

days'

BATTLE,

AND AFTER

(May

6

—

14)

Thursday,

May

6.

—

My

regiments

had

all

gone

up

to

the

firing

line.

There

was to

be

a

big general

attack

all

along

the

line,

beginning

at

11

a.m.

The

F"rench

were

to start

on the

right.

I

had

found

my groom

the

day

before,

and

decided

to

ride

off

and see

what

was

about

to

happen.

I

rode

down

the

West

Krithia

road to

where

some

artillery

horses

were,

and

decided

it

would

be

best

to

tie

up

and

then

go

off

in

search

of

the

Field Ambulance

dressing-station,

which

I

under-

stood was

close

by.

I

tramped

a

long

way,

but

could

get

no trace

of

it.

Meanwhile,

the

artillery

was

blazing

away

for all

it

was

worth.

Eventually

I

made

my

way

back

to

camp,

where

I

lunched,

and

then went

off

and

got

my

horse

and rode over to the

dressing-station,

which

I

now

heard

was

on

the

main

Krithia

road,

just

this

side of

the

towers

among

the

trees.

I

got

to

them

about

three

o'clock,

and

stayed

till

about

six.

The

wounded

were

coming

in

pretty

thick.

There

were

three

ambulances

side

by

side,

the

88th

and

89th

and

the

Naval

Division,

all

among

the

trees

in

a

little

gully

through

which

the

road

goes.

There were

lovely

fig

and

pear

trees round

us,

and

little

terraced

gardens.

The

majority

of

the

wounded

were

Naval

Division,

especially

the

Howe

and

Hood

Battalions.

They

must

have

lost

heavily.

The

Colonel

of

the

Howe

(I

think)

78



WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

79

was

killed.

The

wounded

who

came

in

at

first

were

the

slight

cases

mostly,

who

walked

in

from their

regimental

dressing-stations.

There

were

also some

of

the

L.F.'s

and

other

regiments,

but the R.F.'s

were

mainly

being

taken another

way.

It

was

very

difficult

to

know

w^hat

to do.

Either

the

wounded

were

able

soon to

hobble

off

to the

C.C.S.,

or

they

were so

bad

that

they

were

given

morphia.

The latter

cases

were

very

few.

One

poor

fellow had

been shot

through

the

spine

and

was

in

agony.

There were

one

or

two officers.

I

wandered

from

station

to

station.

There

was

a

chaplain

(I

think

Wesleyan)

at

the

R.N.D.

station.

One

of

Asquith's

sons

was

wounded

that

evening,

but

I

did

not

see

him.

They

seem

to

have

made

rather too

rash

and

rapid

an

advance

and

got

under

shrapnel

fire.

But

it

is

impossible

to

get

news

on

such

occasions.

Some

said,

"We

have

got

the

Turks

on

the

run

"

;

others,

"

I

cannot

see

we

have

gained

much."

The

great

question

was,

Were

we in

Krithia

yet?

The

answers

were confused.

I

am

afraid

we

advanced

nowhere

more

than looo

yards,

at

a

pretty

heavy

cost.

I

believe

the

French did

fairly

well

on

their

wing.

Well,

it

did

not

seem

that

I

was

able

to

be of much

help

there,

so

I

rode back

to

the

camp

to

see the

wounded

as

they

came

in.

I

went over

to

the

C.C.S.,

and chatted

as

far

as

possible

to the

ones

I

saw.

They

were

very

crowded

in

tents,

so

that there

was

no floor

space

left,

and it was difficult

to

talk

to

them. Either

they

were

slightly

wounded

and

cheerful,

or

badly

and

under

the

effects of

morphia.

There

was a

certain

amount

of

confusion.

However,

it was

impossible

to

do

anything

to

make

things

better. The

walking

cases

are

cleared

off to

the

ships

as

quick

as

possible,

but

the

stretcher

cases have

to

wait

twenty-four

hours.



so

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

So

eventually

I went off to

bed,

as

most

of

the

wounded

had

come

in.

I had

by

now

got

a

tent to

myself,

until then

having

slept

in

the

dining-tent.

The

battle

went

on

raging,

but

one

gets

used

to

the

sound

of

firing.

Somewhere about

one

in

the

morning

the

Colonel

woke

me

up

and said he

would need

my

tent,

as more

wounded

were

coming

in;

the

CCS. was

full,

and

they

would have

to

open

up.

So

I

got

all

my things

out

as

quickly

as

possible,

and

then

went

to

see

if

I

could

help.

I

think it

was

about

twenty

or

thirty

wounded we

had

in

that

night.

They

came

in

pretty

cold

and

miserable,

but

the

orderlies

soon

had

beef-tea and

bovril

ready,

and

covered them

with

blankets,

and

made them as

comfortable as

pos-

sible,

and

they

were

soon

soundly

off to

sleep.

So

I turned in

again

(into

my sleeping-bag,

that

is

to

say),

and

followed their

example.

Friday,

May

7.

—

As

there

had

been

so

much

fight-

ing,

I

imagined

there

must

be various

funerals,

and

was

very

anxious

to

know

what had

happened

to

my

regiments.

So

I

rode

off with

my groom

to

see

if

I

could

get

up

at least to

the

regimental

dressing-

stations.

I

went

along

the

West

Krithia

road,

past

the

Pink

Farm,

and

then

into

a

deep

gully

leading

towards

the

firing

line.

When

I

had

got

the

horses

-down

into

it,

I

left them

with

the

groom

and

started

to

walk

up

the

gully.

On the

way

I

met

K

,

who

had

just

left

the Munsters.

They

had not

been

in

the

thick

of

the

fighting,

but a

good

deal of

shooting

was

still

going

on.

Stray

bullets

were

whistling

about,

and

some

went

uncomfortably

close.

However,

I

wanted to

get

up

if

possible,

until

one or

two

came

so

close

I

decided it

would be

wiser

to

return.

I

found

K

chatting

to

my

groom,

and

sat down with

them,

when a

bullet

whizzed

by

and hit

my

horse,

fortunately



IN

GALLIPOLI

81

only

just

scratching

him.

However,

I

decided

it

was

time to be

off.

Shrapnel

was

falling

about

every-

where,

and

I

did not

much

enjoy

the

dash from

the

gully

to

Pink

Farm.

When

we

got

there the

silly

groom

said he

had

left

his rifle

behind,

so

I

had to

wait

while

he

went and

got

it.

Then

we

started

off

again

to

try

and

get

round

by

the

coast,

and

rode

on

until

we

got

to

a

little

dip

in

the

cliff,

where

was

a

battery

of

artillery.

I

asked

where

the

officer

was.

We

had

just

had

four

shells

drop

very

close

to

us.

I

found him

in

a

little

deep

hole

at

the

end

of

the

tele-

phone.

He

asked

me to

come

in,

and

we

started

ta

talk. He

said,

"Do

you happen

to

know

a

padre

called

Creighton

?

",

and

it

turned

out

he

was

the

s'

nephew,

young

L

,

whom

they

had

told

me

about

and

asked

me

to

look

up

at

Leamington,

but

I

had not

succeeded in

discovering

him

till

then. So

we had

much

to

talk

about,

but

the

battery

chose

just

that moment

to

open

fire,

and

w^e

tried

to

carry

on

conversation

while

all the

time he

was

receiving

direc-

tions

where

and

when

to

fire down

the

telephone,

and

shouting

them out

to his

gunner.

It

was

very

amusing,

as

I

had

never seen

a

battery

in

action

before. At last there came

a

lull,

and

he

gave

me

some lunch.

They

fired

a

tremendous

amount while

I

was

there.

I

wondered

if

they

were

doing any

more

damage

than the

Turkish

shells.

Then

I

left the

horses and

made

my

way

onto

Gully

Beach

where the

87th

Field

Ambulance

is,

but

found no

chance

ot

getting

up

to the

regiments.

A

very

deep

gully

runs

down to

Gully

Beach,

but it was

said to

be

full of

snipers.

So

I

returned,

and

we

got

our

horses and

rode back

along

the coast on

the

top

of

the

cliff.

I

stopped

to

see

E

at

"X

"

beach,

and

after

that on

the

back met

crowds

of

Zealanders



82

WITH THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

just

been

landed

and were

going

up

into

reserve.

They

were

all

advancing

over

a

very

exposed

stretch

in

companies.

I

ventured

to

expostulate

with

one

officer

I

passed.

However,

he did

not seem

to

bother.

Of

course the

Turks

soon

spotted

them

and

started

shelling

us,

and

I

saw

many

of them

rushing

over

the

edge

of the

cliff as

I

galloped

off

to

"W" beach.

I

believe

they

had one or two

casualties.

When

I

got

back

I

found the

wounded had

been

largely

cleared

off,

but

decided

I

had

better

sleep

in

another

tent,

as

the

attack

was

still

progressing.

I

went

round

the

C.C.S.

again,

but there

was not

much to be done.

Saturday, May

8.

—

H

is

disturbed

with the

diffi-

culties

of

life,

and the

impossibility

of

doing

anything.

So

I

suggested

we should

go

off

together

and

explore.

We

said

Mattins,

and

then

started off

on

foot

(I

came

to

the

conclusion

a

horse

was

more

trouble than it

was

worth)

along

the Krithia

road.

We

got

among

the

Lancashire

Territorial

Division and

some

of

the

Artillery

and

talked

to

different

people,

and

eventually

started

off

along

the course of

a

little

stream towards

the

firing

line.

We went

a

good

way,

but

the

stray

bullets

started

again,

and

it

seemed

impossible

to

get

even into

the

reserve trenches. So

we

turned

back and

found O

,

the

L.F.

Medical

Officer,

and had

a

chat

with

him.

But

II

felt it

was

useless

going

on,

so he

returned,

and

I

made

my way

again

to

the

gully

where

I

had

been

the

day

before.

On

the

way

I

met

New Zealanders

and

Australians

going

up

to

the

attack,

line

after

line

of

them.

In

the

gully

I

found

a

New

Zealand

dressing-station,

with a

doctor

and

padre,

and lunched

with

them.

They

were

very

cheery,

but

had had a

pretty

bad time of it on

their

own

beach.

These

Colonials

are

magnificent

men.

Again

spent

bullets

made

it

unwise

to

go

any

further.



IN

GALLIPOLI

83

The

attack

was

to

start

at

3.30,

and

to be carried

out

by

the

Colonials

mainly.

So

I

decided

to

make

my

way

to

Gully

Beach,

and

so

up

to

N

, who,

I

understood,

had

his medical

station

up

the

gully.

I

met

Corporal

M

on

"X

"

beach,

and

he

led me

there.

It

was a

mile

and

a

half

up

the

gully

from the

beach

to

him.

Stray

bullets and shells

were

whizzing

about

everyv.'here,

but

high

up, fortunately,

though

occa-

sonally they

dropped.

The

Lanes. Territorials were

all

about,

and

all

kinds

of

other

units

in

the

gully,

which

became

a

highway.

At last

I

found

N

,

who

had

a

very

secure

little

station on

the

reverse

side of

a

cliff,

and

seemed

quite

happy.

The

regiment

had

been

having

some

casual-

ties,

and

three

men

had

recently

been

buried

without

a

service.

I

had

some tea. I felt

very

inclined to

go

up

to

the

regiment,

who

were

in

reserve

trenches

further

up,

but

Corporal

M

said

it

would

not

be

safe.

Meanwhile

the

attack

was

developing,

and

there was a

blaze of

artillery.

So

there

seemed no-

thing

for

it but

to return.

I

met

R

and

C

and

D

,

either

that

day

or

previously,

and

they

all

seemed flourishing.

I

have

heard

since

that

R

(the

Presbyterian

chaplain

to

the

Division)

greatly

distinguished

himself in

the

K.O.S.B.

landing.

But

that

is a

second-hand

story.

It was

getting

dark

before

I

got

back.

The

difficulty

is

to

realize

what

is

going

on. As

a

matter

of

fact,

what

happened

was

that

the

Australians

and

New

Zealanders

made

a

tremendous

charge

about 6

p.m.

They

fixed

bayonets,

and,

with three

shouts for Australia with

the

Brigadier

and

Brigade-Major

in the

firing

line,

they

rushed

forward

in

masses

against

an

extremely

strong

position

full of

machine

guns. They

were

simply

mown

down.

I

have

no

idea

of

the

actual



84 WITH

THE TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

casualties,

but

the

Colonials

estimate

it

at

some-

where near

1500,

out

of

something

like

6000,

or

perhaps

less.

It

was

simply

ghastly.

They

gained,

I

believe,

700

yards.

But

when

I

got

back

to

camp

the

wounded

were

already

pouring

in

—

those who

could

hobble.

I

never

saw

a

less

complaining

lot.

They

bore

their

wounds

absolutely

stoically.

"But it

was

fine

to see

the

boys

charge

"

was the

one com-

ment.

I

think

the idea

of the

three

days'

operations

was

to

rush

Achi Baba

by

these

different

attacks.

But

the

Turks

had

dug

themselves

in,

and

had machine

guns

all

about,

and it was

absolutely

impossible

to

oust

them

by

direct attack

: hence

these

fearful

casual-

ties,

almost

equalling

the

landing.

All

regiments

suffered

during

the

three

days,

but

none

so

badly

as

the

Colonials.-

The facts of

the attack

are

difficult to

gather

now,

and must

be

left

to

a

future

historian.

But

all

I

can

vouch

for

was the

ghastly

mass

of

casual-

ties which

came

in

this

night

and

all

Sunday

up

to

ten

o'clock

Sunday

night.

The

88th

Brigade

(the

86th

had

been broken

up,

owing

to

small

numbers)

were

holding

the first

line

of

trenches

when

the

Australians

and

New

Zealanders

came

through

them to

the

attack.

Every

officer

and

man

I

spoke

to afterwards said

it

was

one

of

the

most

magnificent

sights they

had ever seen.

On

they

dashed,

as

though

nothing

could

stop

them. As those

in front were shot

down,

others

came

up

from behind

to

fill

in

their

places.

I

had

been

very

anxious

to

know

what

our

highly

disciplined

regulars

would

say

about

the

fighting

qualities

of

these

men,

about

whom

the

want

of

discipline,

as

we understand

it,

was

such

a

constant

comment.

I

never heard

anvthing

more

about

it afterwards

from those who

saw

their

charge

that

day.

There

was

not

a

word but of

unqualified

admiration.



<

J.

o

o



IN

GALLIPOLI 85

As

a

delightful

commentary

to

this,

I

have

recently

heard

from

a

friend,

just

arrived

from

Australia,

that

a

wounded Australian

officer,

who

had

returned,

was

speaking

to

the

boys

of

a

large

public

school.

His

opening

remark

was,

"Now,

boys,

I

want

you

to

understand

that there has never been

a

finer

fighting

unit

than the

29th

Division." The

Australian

is often

accused

of

having

a

high

opinion

of

himself.

But

he

certainly

knows

where

and when to

praise,

and

every

one of

them

whom

I

subsequently

met,

and

who had

seen

anything

of

the

29th

Division,

was

unqualified

in

his

admiration

for

them.

Often

they

would

add,

"We

see now the

value

of

discipline."

Sunday,

May

9.

—

It

was

impossible

to

hold services.

The

camp

was

fearfully busy,

and

full of

wounded,

and

my regiments

were

in

the

firing

line.

I

went to

the

CCS.

and round

our

own

tents,

and

gave

out

cigarettes.

There was a mass

of

wounded

everywhere.

The

bad

cases

had started

coming

in

during

the

night.

They

came

in all

day.

Terrible stomach wounds

and

head

wounds.

The

Australians,

who were the

vast

majority,

were

wonderfully

plucky.

I

saw the

Brigade-Major

lying

on

a

stretcher

in

the

open,

"My,

it

was

grand

to

see

the

boys

charge

There

was

the

Brigadier,

and

he

shouted

out,

'

Now,

boys,

at

them

'

"

People

who saw it

said

it

was a

great

charge,

but

utterly

reckless.

They

don't seem to

understand

fear,

and

even

the

wounded were

only

anxious

to

get

better

and

have another

go

I

But what

a

terrible

waste

it

all

seemed

of

such

magnificent

men

It

was

a

bad

day

:

I

believe

they

cleared

off

700

wounded

from the CCS.

that

day

alone,

and

still

it was full

at

night

again.

I decided

eventually

to

go

up

again

and

see

if

I

could

hold

any

services

any-

where.

So

I

got

up

to

Q—

—

's station

again.

He



86

WITH THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

was

close

to

the

Australian

station,

and had

had a

bad

night

of

it

helping

them.

So had

our

own

dressing-

station.

Q

was

feeling

a

little blue.

I

brought

Gospels

with

me,

and

sent

some

up

to

the

firing

line.

I

had lunch with

him,

and then

went over to the

Australian

dressing-station,

and

found

they

still had

a

large

number of

bad stretcher

cases

there,

but

that

the stretchers

had

given

out. So

I

decided

to

go

back

to

camp

and

see

if

I

could

raise

any

more

stretchers.

But

I

found

it

difficult as

usual to

do

anything,

and

mainly

met

abuse

when

I

asked.

I

found

H

,

and

went

round

with

him,

but

I

think

everybody

was

at

their

tether

end.

The

ships

were all

full

;

eighteen

cases

were taken

off,

and,

after

spending

two

hours

going

round them

in

a

mine-sweeper

they

were

all

returned.

However,

our

Colonel was

getting

am-

bulance-wagons

to

go

out as

quickly

as

possible.

I

think

it

must

have

been

that

day

that

I

discovered

oranges

were

being

sold on

the

beach,

and

I

rushed

down

and

secured

a

huge

basketful,

took

them round

with another

man,

and

gave

one

to

each wounded

man,

for which

they

seemed

exceedingly grateful.

The

only

services

possible

were

two

or three

little ones

H

and

I

took with

the less serious cases

in

the

CCS.

It

was

a

pretty

dismal

day.

Then we

found there were

some

sixty

more

to come in.

We

would need

every

available

tent to

put

them

in,

as

the CCS. was

so

full.

The doctors were dead tired.

So

I

sat

up

to

see

if

I

could

do

anything.

We

eventually

got

the

sixty,

mostly

serious

cases

in

great

pain,

all

stowed

away.

These

stomach

wounds

are

terrible.

Well,

about

II

p.m.

everything

was

finished;

only

we

were

expect-

ing

more

in

at

one

o'clock. So

I

got

up

again

for

these,

but

found

it

a

false

alarm,

and

only

four more

cases

came

in.



IN

GALLIPOLI

87

Monday, May

lo.

—

The

ships

were still

full,

so

they

could

not

be

cleared

from

the CCS.

I

counted some

thirty-five

stomach

cases

there,

three officers.

One or

two

had

died.

,Well,

as

usual,

it

did not seem

much

use

hanging

round,

so

I

decided

to

go

off and

see the

Dubsters

(Dublins

and

Munsters

joined

into

one

regi-

ment),

who,

I

heard,

had

come

into

reserve

on

Gully

Beach.

I

made

my way

there,

calling

on

E

,

on

"X

"

beach,

on

the

way,

and

first

of

all

came across

the

South

Wales

Borderers,

and

was

hailed

by

their

ofTicers,

and

lunched

with

them.

They

had

suffered

very heavily

(over

lOO

casualties)

in

the last attack

:

fixed

bayonets

against

machine

guns.

Then

I

went

on

to

the

Dubsters,

who

had

a

delightful

rest-camp

along

the

beach,

and

saw

O'Hara,

and

Floyd,

and the

Munster

officers,

and

arranged

an

evening

service

for

the

few

Anglicans.

Then

I

started

up

the

gully

to

find

out

news

of

the

R.F.'s,

and

on

the

way up

was

hailed

by

the

cheery

voice of

J

,

who was

having

tea

with

an

artillery

major

at

the

top

of

the

hill,

and

I

joined

them.

The

regiment

was

just

coming

into

reserve.

They

had had about

50

casualties

(10

killed)

since

I

saw them

last.

Z

had

been

wounded.

J

wanted

to insist

on

my

spending

the

night

with

them,

but

I

had

to

return

to

the

Dubsters.

However,

I

went across

country

in

search

of

the

regiment

with

him

before

going

back,

and

then came

and

had

a

service with

the

Dubsters,

perched

on

the

side of

the

cliff.

I

gave

them all

Gospels,

and

arranged

a Cele-

bration

for

the

next

morning.

But

I

had to

go

back

to

camp

to

get

my

things,

so

I

rode

back

in time for

supper,

to find that at

last

more

of

the

cases

had

been

cleared

off,

and

the

Field

Ambulance

was

empty.

Tuesday,

May

1 1 .

—

I

had to

get

up

early

and ride

off with

my

groom

t©

Gully

Beach,

where

I

had a



88

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

Celebration

on

the

beach,

while

K—

—

held Mass.

I

felt

it a little

public,

but

the men

were

very

reverent.

I

saw

C

,

and the South

Wales

Borderers

gave

me

some

food,

and

then

I

rode

off in

search

of

the

R.F.'s,

whom

I

found

in

reserve

pretty

well

in

the centre of

the

peninsula,

with the

88th

Brigade.

They

were

as

cheery

as

usual,

and were

planning

a

trip

to

"W"

beach,

so

I

asked

them to come

in,

and lunch with

the

R.A.M.C.

J

,

Mundy,

and

N

rode

in

with

me,

and the Field Ambulance

officers

entertained

them

all

to

lunch,

which

they

enjoyed

as a

change

from

the

trenches. We wandered

round

the

beach

a

bit

to see

various

people,

and

I

packed

up

my

things

to

go

out

and

spend

a

night

or

two with

them

in

reserve. While

doing

this

I

got

a note from the

L.F.'s,

with the

sad

news

that

poor

Major

Adams

had

just

been

shot as

they

were

getting

ready

to

come out

of

the

trenches.

It

was

a

great

blow.

He

seemed

to have

made

up

his

mind

that

he

was

going

to be

killed,

but

had been

so

much

more cheerful

when

I

had

seen

him

the

week

before,

after

having

come

safely

through

the

first

bad

week.

However,

the

last

words he had said

to

me,

as

the

regiment

returned to the

firing

line,

were,

"You

will

write

to

my

wife if

I

get

pipped

?

"

He

gave

me

her

address.

I

am

glad

it was

an

instantaneous death.

Well,

the

CO.

asked

me

to

bury

him,

so

I

rode

back,

the

L.F.'s

being

next the

R.F.'s,

and

found them

very

gloomy.

Until

then

their

senior

officers

were

intact,

and

he

was

a

very

old friend

of

the

regiment,

with

about

twenty-five

years'

service.

I

sent

a

note back to

camp,

entreating

the

body

to

be

kept

till

we

came

up

at

6

p.m.,

so

that the officers

might

be

present.

The

regiment

was

sadly

diminished,

only

about

230

men

left

in

the

firing

line.

When

we

got

to

the

cemetery

at

six,

it

was

to

find he

had been

buried

some

hours



IN GALLIPOLI

89

before

by

H

,

so

I

just

said

a few

prayers

over

the

grave,

and

went

with

the

two

majors

to

see

about

a

piece

of

ground

being

railed

off to

serve as a L.F.

burying-place,

where

some

day

a

memorial

might

be

erected

above

the

beach

where

they

made

their

famous

landing.

I

came

back

to

supper

with the

R.F.'s,

and

slept

under

a sort

of

little

hedge.

Fortunately,

I

had

brought

out

my

oilskin-sheet

as

well

as

my

ground-

sheet,

as it

rained

in

the

night,

and

all next

morning.

Wednesday,

May

12.

—

It was the first

rain

we

had

had since I

landed,

and

was

not

at

all

pleasant,

as we

were

in

a

very

clayey

field,

and

everything

was

in

a

bad

mess.

However,

I

stretched

my

oilskin

alongside

a

sheet

of

J

's,

and we

made

a

kind

of little

tent,

where

it

was

possible

to

keep fairly

dry.

Fortunately,

it

was

pretty

quiet

all

day

and

night,

and

there

seemed

to

be

little

fighting

going

on.

I

went

round

the

lines

a

little,

and the

men

looked

pretty

wet and miserable.

But

we could not

complain,

as we

had

had most beau-

tiful

weather,

and

it

was not

really

cold.

It

was

unsettled

most

of

the

afternoon,

but cleared

up

enough

by

6

p.m.

for

me

to be

able

to hold

a

service

in an

adjoining

field

for

the

combined

L.F.'s

and

R.F.'s,

to which several

ofificers

and a

number

of

men came.

But

the

battle

began again

just

about

that

time,

and

raged

very fiercely

over our

heads,

a

French

battery

close

by opening

fire.

The

whole

night

was

very

noisy.

I

rigged

up

a

little tent with

my

oilskin,

and

kept

quite

dry.

It

hardly

rained,

though

there

was

a

heavy

dew,

but the noise of

artillery

and rifle-fire

kept

waking

me.

I

don't

think

anything

much

hap-

pened.

The

Turks

seem to

get

panicky

at

intervals,

and fire for no

particular

reason.

Thursday,

May

13

(Ascension

Day).

—

I had

a

Celebration at

9

a.m. in

the

same

field,

and made

it



90

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

a

commemoralion

of those

who

had

been

killed

in the

two

regiments,

reading

out the

entire list of

names.

Quite

a

large

number

of

officers

and

men

were

present.

I fixed

up

a

little

altar,

and

made it

all as

nice as

pos-

sible.

The

firing

had

pretty

well died

down,

and

we

were

fairly

peaceful.

H

had

a

Celebration close

by

at

the

same time

for his

regiments.

It turned

out

a

lovely

day,

and the

camp

soon

began

to

dry

up.

K came

down,

and

J

,

N

,

Mundy,

and

I

rode

ofi with

him

to

lunch

at

"X" beach.

On

the

way

we

saw

for

the

first

time

our

latest

pest,

a

Black

Maria,

a

lyddite

shell

fired

from

a

howitzer

which has

now

got

the

range

of

"W" beach.

The

shells

are

most

terrifying.

They

burst

with tremendous

force

in

the

air,

and

blow

pieces

as

far

as

150

yards

around.

We

don't

mind the

shrapnel

much',

but

these

are most

terrifying.

They

also

fired some common

shells

at

us,

and

one

fell

right

among

a

party

of

men

bathing

on

"X

"

beach,

but

did

no

damage.

After lunch

we

got

hold

of

a

steam

pinnace,

and went aboard

the

A

,

where

we found

M

,

and

had

baths,

and

then

had

tea

with

the

purser

in his cabin.

They

had been

having

a

tremendous

time

with

wounded,

and there

were

1000

of the

slighter

cases on

board.

I

also

saw

a

paper

of

May

4,

brought

out

by

a

King's

Messenger,

with

lists of our

casualties.

Coming

on

the

top

of

the

huge

French

lists,

with

the

news

of

the

Lusitania

and

the

Goliath,

I

fear

people

at

home

will

be

feeling

perturbed,

and

the

enemy

w'ill

rejoice.

We

went

on

board

the

Implacable

on

the

way

back,

where

I

met

Ashmead-Bartlett,

the official

newspaper

correspondent,

who

was

most

pessimistic.

"The

best

thing

we could

do

was to

evacuate

the

place.

This

was

developing

into

a

major

operation,

and

we

had not

the

troops

for it. Achi

Baba

was

untakable,

except



IN

GALLIPOLI

91

after

months of

siege

warfare."

Three

Black Marias

had

just

fallen

on

"

W

"

beach,

and over

forty

horses

and two

men

had been

killed,

besides several

badly

wounded.

We

could

see

them

burst

all

along

from

the

Implacable.

It is a

bad

thing

when

one's

base

is

under

fire,

and

certainly

most

unpleasant.

The

Goliath had

been

a

bad

business.

It

appears

a

Turkish

torpedo-boat

had

somehow

penetrated

the

destroyer-screen.

We

all

felt

pretty

blue,

especi-

ally

as

no

one

sees how

any

advance is to be

made

after

the

failure

of

the Australian

attack.

We

keep

wondering

what

people

at home

must

think.

To

all

appearances

the

whole

expedition

was

hastily

conceived and

badly

planned.

The men

are

quite

magnificent,

all

of

them. But

you

cannot

make

frontal

attacks

against

modern

weapons

without

being

pre-

pared

to

sacrifice

thousands.

The

only

other

thing

is

some bold

stroke,

or

new

landing.

However,

it is

easy

to

criticise,

and

it

is

an

exceedingly

difficult

undertak-

ing,

which we should

never have

handled. These

feelings

do

not

make

it

easy

for

those

here. We

have

to

get

the

Government

out

of

a

muddle,

and

have

no

idea

how

to

do

it,

and,

meanwhile,

we

are shelled

wherever

w^e

go.

Well,

when

we

got

back

to

"X"

beach,

only my

horse

was

there.

The

others had

all

been killed

by

a Black

Maria

in

the

lines

on

"W"

beach.

So

I

let

Mundy

have

my

horse,

and walked

back

with

J

in

time

for

supper.

We

had

a

nice

quiet,

dry

night,

and all

slept

peacefully.

One

of

the

most

delightful

things

was

the relation-

ship

between

the R.F.'s and

the

Implacable

—

their

mother-ship

at the

landing.

I

don't

suppose

either

will

ever

forget

the

other,

and

the officers and men

never

tire

of

telling

me how

splendidly

the officers and

crew of the

Implacable

had

looked

after

them,

both



92

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

before the

landing,

and

especially

afterwards.

After

the

landing

had been made

good

on

"X"

beach,

with

practically

no

casualties,

the

regiment

had

advanced

well

inland,

but

had

not succeeded

in

joining

up

with

the

L.F.'s

on

their

right.

The

Turks

made

a

tre-

mendous

attack that

night

in

overwhelming

numbers,

and

the

R.F.'s

were

forced

back

to

the

brow

of the

cliff,

losing very heavily.

The

officers told me

they

felt

all

was

up.

There

was

only

the sea behind them.

The Commander

of the

Implacable

thought something

was

wrong,

and,

though

he

had

not

been

instructed

to

do

so,

took

it

on

himself

to

open

fire

on

the

oncoming

Turks,

and

did

it

with

such

effect

as

to save

the

situation.

Friday, May 14.

—

I

spent

the whole

day

quietly

in

the reserve

trenches.

The

Turks

fired

a

quantity

of

shells

that

and

the

following

morning.

All the

reserve

troops

were in

full

view

of Achi

Baba,

and

my

only

wonder

is

that

they did not

shell

us

incessantly.

For-

tunately

for

us,

the

shells

went

mostly

to the

right,

where the

troops

were

closer. Sometimes

eight

would

come

altogether.

They

mostly

burst

too

high,

or

did

not

burst

at

all,

and

it

is

wonderful

how little

damage

they

do.

I believe

only

two

men

were

killed and

one

or two

wounded

all

the

time,

though

hundreds of

shells

must

have

burst

among

them.

Of

course, these

were

ordinary

shrapnel,

and

not Black

Marias. When

they

had

stopped

I

wandered

over to

a little round

hill

to our

right,

close to which

they

had

been

drop-

ping,

to

find

out

the extent

of

the

damage.

I

found

some

New Zealanders

there,

but

they

had

mostly

burst

further

back over

the

R.N.D.

I

distributed

some

New

Testaments

among

the

L.F.'s,

and

found that

they

had

just

got

orders

to

move,

and

were

feeling

very

annoyed,

and

weary

of life.

They

went

off

at

4

p.m.

that afternoon

to

join

the Indian

Brigade

on

the

extreme left

of

our

line,

and

I

promised

to

go

and



7.

<

O

/5

O

o

Q

<

^

^:..>'i¥

_. i



IN

GALLIPOLI

93

see

them as soon

as

possible.

I

got

a number

of

papers

of

different kinds off

them,

and

that

day

we

spent

very quietly,

mostly

sleeping

and

eating.

In

the

evening

I

went

over

and

had

a

pleasant

chat

with

the

Brigadier

and

Staff

—

very

nice

fellows.

F

is

acting

as

Brigade-Major,

and

doing

it

very

well.

From

a

letter dated

May

14

:

—

"

I

am

exceedingly

flourishing,

the

weather

is

delightful,

there

are

lovely

flowers,

many

birds,

heaps

of

food,

plenty

to

do,

and

it

would

be

all

very

jolly

if

it were not for

the

war.

I

wrote

a

lot of

hasty

impressions

last

time,

just

after

having

had

my

first

experience

of

war.

Well,

since

then

they

are con-

stantly varying.

I

wonder

how

much

they

have

let

you

know

in

England.

One

thing

is

quite

clear,

and

that is

this

is a

far

bigger

job

than

they

had

ever

imagined,

and

fraught

with

difficulties,

some

of

which

appear

pretty

insurmountable.

However,

if it

were

possible

to make

a

landing

here at

all,

it should

be

possible

to

go

on

and

do

the

rest.

The main nuisance

at the

present

is that there

is not a

spot

of land in our

possession

on this

peninsula

where one

is safe from

shell

fire.

Fortunately,

the

Turkish shell

are

mainly

bad,

and do

comparatively

little

damage. They

have

been

bursting

all

around

us

all

morning,

but

I

know

of

no

one

damaged yet.

Shells

are

flying

over our

heads

all the

time

as

I

write.

They

fortunately

are

directed

very high,

and

no

one

pays any

attention to

them.

But

I

find

it a

little

disconcerting.

It

is

ter-

rible

how

many

people

we

have lost

killed.

You

will

have noticed that

in the

casualty

lists.

Men who

were

at

Mons

say

that

was

nothing

to

what

they

have

been

through

here.

However,

they

are

all

pretty

cheerful,

the weather

being

fine,

and

there

being

plenty

of

food.

There seems

to

be

a

singular

callousness

as

to

the

value of

human

life,

so

many

in

proportion

to

the

whole

force

have been

killed.

(Shells

still

passing,

and

no

one

paying

any

attention,

though

somebody



94

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

must

be

hit,

as

the

whole

place

is

covered

with

men

and

horses.)

Well,

it

is

a

strange,

sad

world,

and

it

is

no

use

worrying

about

anything

or

wondering

what

is

going

to

happen,

but

simply

to

keep

calm,

and

do

the

job

nearest

at

hand

;

still there

is

absolutely

no

feeling

of

security

about

anything.

However,

there

are

many

little

opportunities

of

being

of

use.

(There

is an

aeroplane

of ours

frying

overhead,

and

they

have

been

shooting

at

it

all

morning.)

In

many

ways

I am

enjoying

it

all,

but

it is

an

awful

desperate

business."

SPECIAL ORDER

General

Headquarters,

May

12,

igiS-

For

the first

time for

eighteen days

and

nights

it

has

been

found

possible

to

withdraw

the

29th

Division from

the

fire

fight.

During

the

whole

of that

long

period

of

unprecedented

strain the Division

has

held

ground

or

gained

it,

against

the

bullets and

bayonets

of the con-

stantly

renewed

forces

of

the foe.

During

the

whole

of

that

long period

they

have been

illuminating

the

pages

of

military history

with their

blood.

The

losses

have

been

terrible,

but

mingling

with the

deep

sorrow

for

fallen

comrades

arises a

feeling

of

pride

in the

invincible

spirit

which

has

enabled

the

survivors to

triumph

where

ordinary

troops

must

inevitably

have

failed.

I

tender

to

Major-General

Hunter-Weston

and

to

his

Division at

the

same

time

my

profoundest

sympathy

with

their

losses

and

my

warmest

congratulations

on

their

achievement.

Ian

Hamilton,

General.

The

rest

was

for

five

days.



u

o

ir.

-

o

<

<

>

O



CHAPTER

VIH

QUIETER

DAYS

(May

15—31)

Saturday,

May

15.

—

I

stayed

in

camp

all

day, writing"

my

diary,

except

when the

Black

Marias

started

and

we

all

rushed

down

to

the

beach

under

shelter of

the

cliff.

Fortunately, though

several

fell,

none

did

any

damage

that

day.

But

one

feels

such

a

fool

cower-

ing

under

a

cliff. I

crawled back

after

a while and

visited the

C.C.S.,

which

was

being

emptied.

There

had

been

practically

no casualties

all

this

week,

and

very

little

fighting.

In

fact

"W"

beach,

the base

camp,

is

now

the

most

dangerous

spot.

H

returned

at

7.30,

and

I

then

went

back

to

the

R.F.'s

to

spend

a

last

night

with

them.

I

took

two

funerals

in

the

afternoon.

I

also

went

round

to

try

and

arrange

about

some

services

in

camp,

but

found it

very

difficult,

as

there

are

so

many

odd

units,

and

could

only

leave

a

notice

with the

camp

adjutant.

No Black Marias

fell

after

i

p.m.

Sunday,

May

16.

—

I

was up

in

good

time

to

get

ready

for

a

7.30

Celebration.

Most

of

the

men

had

been on

Ascension

Day,

so

I

did

not

expect

a

large

congregation.

I

fixed

everything

up

in

a

field,

but

the Turks started

sending

their

morning

shells,

and

they

were

dropping

much

more

in

our direction. One

fell

right

in

our

camp,

but

did

no

damage.

However,



96

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

the

open

while

they

were

dropping

about,

and as no

one

came

to

it

packed

up

again.

After breakfast

I

said

good-bye

to

the

R.F.'s,

who

were

to

go

up

to

the

firing

Hne

that

afternoon,

and

walked

back to

camp

to

take

a

morning

service

there,

while

H

came

out

to the

brigade.

I met

him

on

the

way

and

said

I

hardly thought

it

wise

or

safe

to

hold

a

service,

but

he

persisted

and

held

one,

fortunately

without

damage.

C

had

a

man wounded

at

one

of

his.

I

found

L

,

the

Wesleyan,

holding

a

service

when

I

got

back.

I

was to have

mine

at

10.30.

But

just

as

I

was

getting

ready

the

Black Marias started

again,

and

one burst

right

in

camp,

doing

no

damage,

I

believe.

By

the

way,

I

forgot

to

say

that one

burst

in one

of

our

operating

tents

on

Friday

and

blew it

to

pieces,

together

with a number of

stretchers

and

blankets

in-

side,

but

fortunately

no one

was

there.

We

are

all

rather

jumpy

in

camp

in

consequence,

and

it is

a

singularly

uncomfortable

feeling.

Everybody

rushed

to

the

beach

and

took

their

horses

with

them,

and we

cowered under

shelter

of

the cliffs.

Some more

burst

around,

but

after

a

while

they

stopped

and

we

crept

out. A

service

by

now

was

out

of the

question.

So

I

decided

to

go

off

to

"X"

beach

and

see

who

was

there.

I

found

the R.F.

Transport

men

sorting

letters,

and

got

two

from

home

which

were most

acceptable,

but not

a

newspaper

or

anything

else.

Everybody

else seems

to

get

papers

and

all

kinds

of

little

luxuries.

I

lunched

with

the

beach

master,

a

marine,

and

then

walked

on

to

Gully

Beach,

where

I

saw

Floyd

and

O'Hara of

the

Dublins,

and

arranged

to

come back

later

and hold

a

service if

possible.

I heard the

L.F.'s

were

some

way

further

up

on

"

Y

"

beach

where

the

K.O.S.B.'s

had

made

their

historic

landing,

and

which

had

again

been

got

hold of

by

the

Gurkhas,

who



IN

GALLIPOLI

97

had been

doing

well

on

the

left.

It

was

a

good

mile

and

a

half

further,

along

the

edge

of

the

cliff.

A

number of

dead

horses

which

had

been

thrown

into

the sea

had

been

washed

up

there

and

the

smell

was

horrible.

Fatigue

parties

were

making

a

road of

sorts.

At

last

I

found

the

L.F.'s

next the Gurkhas.

They

were

right

on

the

beach

in

a

very

peaceful

and

secure

spot,

though only

400

yards

from

the

firing

line.

You

could

hear

the

sharp

report

of

the

rifles of

one

or

two

snipers

going

all

the time,

A

very

steep path,

well

made

by

engineers,

leads

up

the

hill

to

the

firing

line.

They

seemed

rather more

cheerful,

and

I

had

a

service

for

them

at

4 p.m.,

most of

the

officers

coming.

They

asked me to

come

and

spend

the

night

with them.

I

went

back

and

held

a

service

at

6.30

with

the

Dubsters

high

up

on

the side of the

cliff.

So

I

felt

my

Sunday

had

not

been

altogether

in

vain

as

I

had

first

feared.

I

then

walked

back,

meeting

C on

the

way

and

getting

in

at

8.30

p.m.

Monday,

May

17.

—

I have

decided to

try

and

do

just

what

H

wants,

even

against my judgment.

So

I

arranged

to

go

out

while he

stayed

in,

and

to take

my

turn

in

on

Tuesday.

I

wanted

to

spend

the

night

with the

L.F.'s,

not

knowing

when

I

would

see

them

again.

I

stayed

in

writing

till

early

lunch,

and

then

got

on

my

horse

and

rode

over

by Gully

Beach,

where

I

saw

C

and

borrowed some

books.

I

managed

to ride

all

the

way

along

the

rocky

strip

of

coast.

I

spent

the

rest

of

the

day

with

the

L.F.'s,

and

held

a

service

at

6.30,

as so

many

had

been unable

to

come

the

night

before.

It

is

a

delightful

spot

for a

camp,

and

they

were

cheering

up.

For

one

thing,

the

first

drafts

were

arriving

from

England,

and

each

regiment

is

getting

an

officer

and

46

men.

Also

30

wounded

men

were

returning, including

Bromley

the

adjutant.



98

WITH THE

TWENTY-NINTH DIVISION

Now

they

have lo

officers

and

a

grand

total

of

nearly

400

men,

and

further

drafts

of

100

men

are

said to

be on

their

way.

So it

may

be

possible

to

partially

reconstitute

the

Division.

One

has to

be

thankful

for

the smallest

mercies.

The

Inniskillings

were

in

the

firing

line,

and

I

discovered

it

was

quite

safe

to

go

up.

Armed

with

a

periscope

I

clambered

up

the

steep

hill,

bullets and

occasional

shells

whistling

overhead

all

the

time,

till

I

found

myself

in

the

support

line,

out

of

which

leads

a

little

narrow

trench,

down which

I

walked

a

few

yards,

till I

got

into

another.

I

asked

where

the

firing

line

was,

and

was

told that

was

it.

I

went

a

little

way

to

the

left,

where there

was

a

loop-

hole,

but

did not

look

through

it

much

as

the

snipers

were

busy, using

the

periscope

instead.

I

could

just

make

out the line

of

Turkish

trenches,

and

could

see

where

they

had

fixed

a

barbed

wire

entanglement

the

night

before

quite

unbeknown

to

our

men,

who

should

never

have

allowed

it.

But of

course

I

could

not

see

a

Turk. Their

line

is

very

strong,

and

it

seems

exceed-

ingly

difficult

to

do

anything

against

it.

The General

had been

up

shortly

before.

Snipers

were

firing

all

the

time,

and one

or

two

men had

been

killed

by

putting

their

heads

over

the

parapet.

One

poor

sergeant

was

even

shot

through

the

parapet

next

morning.

He

was

still

alive

when I

saw

him,

but

quite

unconscious.

I

had

always

wanted to

get

into

the

firing

line.

I

went

up

again

at

night

and

buried

a

man

who

had

died,

in

a

little

cemetery

they

have

fixed

on

the

hill-side.

I

had

to

read

the

service

by

the

light

of

my

electric

torch.

I

feel

it

is

the

only

consolation

one

can

give

the

relatives at

home.

We

also

consecrate

the

graves.

I

spent

a

good

night

with

the

L.F.'s,

even

having

bags

of

grass

to

sleep

on,

and

there

was

very

little

firing.

I

had

a

bathe

in

the

afternoon.



'^'^-^

Y

GULl.Y

WITH

CIRKHA

IJI.UFl'

ON

THE

LEFT,

LEADING

UP

THE

CLIFFS

FROM

"y"

BEACH.

THIS

FORMED

THE

MAIN

LINE

OF

COMMUNICATION

ON

THE

EXTREME LEFT



IN GALLIPOLI

99

Tuesday,

May

i8.

—

I went

round

and tried

to

talk

to

some of

the

men,

but

found

them

rather

shy,

not

Hke

the

R.F.'s. We

breakfasted

very

late,

and

immedi-

ately

after

I

again

climbed

the

hill

and

buried

another

Inniskilling

sergeant.

It

seemed so

strange

standing

only

a few

yards

from the

firing

line,

and

hearing

the

"ping, ping"

of

the

bullets

overhead,

and

burying

these

poor

fellows

who

had

just

been killed.

Person-

ally

I

really

envy

their

sudden

death,

which

I

cannot

help

feeling

a

very

merciful

thing

these

perilous

days.

I

feel

absolutely

no

fear

of

death,

but

I

should

hate

to

be

mangled

or

badly

wounded.

They

started

to

shell

the

beach

that

morning,

but

could not

drop

shells

close

enough,

at

least

while

I was

there,

to do

any

damage,

the

hills

are

too

steep.

However,

they

may

place

their

guns

in

better

positions.

Then I rode

back,

getting

in

at

11.30

to

set

H

free.

I

found

more

Black Marias

had

visited

the

camp

in

my

absence,

and

three men and

several horses

had

been

absolutely

blown

to

pieces

and more wounded. It

is

only

one

now and then

that

does

damage,

but

quite

enough

to

make

us

all feel

exceedingly

uncomfortable.

Being

a

great

coward

myself,

I

got

my

servant

to

dig

a

deep

pit

in

my

tent

and

throw

a

mound

round

it,

so

that

I

can

drop

in

when

they

start. It

minimises the

chances

of

being

hit

by

a

splinter,

but

if

one

were

to

lodge

right

in

the

hole

or burst overhead it would be

an

end.

However,

one must take some risks. While

I

have

been

writing

this

afternoon some

more

have been

burst-

ing

on

the

aerodome

just

short of

camp.

I

don't

think

they

can

realize

what

damage

they

are

doing,

or

they

would

never

give

us

any

peace.

Personally

I

would

rather be

anywhere

than on

"

W

"

beach.

I

have

been

sitting writing

in

my

hole all afternoon.

I

shall

try

and

construct

some overhead

cover

later on.



100

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

At

last

I

have

written

up

to

date.

It

is

a

nuisance

feeling

we

have

embarked

on

such

an

utterly

fool-

hardy

and

under-estimated

enterprise.

We were

to

have

taken

Achi

Baba

the

day

we

arrived.

That

is

three

weeks

ago,

and

it

is

untaken

yet.

The

Turks

have

immensely

strong

positions

all

up

the

hill,

and

quantities

of

artillery

and

machine

guns

manned

by

Germans.

It

is

another

bit

of

siege

warfare.

And

how

are

we

to

do

this

and

carry

on

the

war

in

France

too?

The

Turkish

positions

only get

stronger

every

day.

We

gave

them

such

a

lot

of

warning.

They

are

magnificently

led,

well

armed,

and

very

brave

and

numerous.

Now

there

are

submarine

scares

and

we

see

the

ships

in the

harbour

disappearing.

It

is

all rather

dismal.

The best

things

are

the

weather,

which

is

superb,

and

the

food,

which

is

really

excellent.

In fact

it

is

like a

picnic

except

for

the

fighting

and

the

Black

Marias.

How

I

hate

them

And

here

we

feel

we

are

utterly

stuck

and

nobody

seems

to

know

what

to do.

This

was not

at

all

the

Government's

programme.

The

Balkan States

are

not

coming

in,

and

I

don't

blame

them.

It looks like

a

question

of stalemate

and

nothing

happening.

We

must

advance,

but

how

?

The

only

thing

to

do seems

to be to

try

and

cheer

people

up

as

much

as

possible,

and

remind

them

that

it

is not

our

fault,

and that the

whole

world is

in

a

pretty good

muddle,

and

we

can

only

each

try

to do

our

best. How

everybody longs

for it to be over

You seem to

hear

nothing

else. But

it is

a

great thing

to have

fine

weather,

plenty

to

eat,

no

lice,

and

to feel

well.

I

feel

so

sure

that,

though

it

is

impossible

to

see

how,

somehow

or another some

day

good

will

come

of

the

whole

war.

It

always

seemed

so

impossible

for

the

world to

go

on

as

it

was. And

it

takes

a

long

time

for men to break

habits and

to learn

to

care

about the



IN

GALLIPOLI

101

things

that matter.

I

cannot

pray

(though

I

may

long)

for

victory; only

"Thy Kingdom

come."

When

I

had finished

writing

I

wandered

off for

a

Uttle

voyage

of

exploration.

The

CCS.

was

empty,

so

I

walked

all

along

the

edge

of the cliff.

There were

transport

horses and

mules

and

wagons

of

every

kind,

closely

packed

in

the

effort

to

find

cover from

Achi

Baba and

the

Black Marias. Then

I

got

to

"V"

beach and

went

on board

the

River

Clyde,

inside of

which

the

Dublins

and

Munsters had

been,

which

had

been

run ashore

the

fatal

day

of

landing.

There

she

had

lain

ever

since,

a

perpetual

mark

for

the

Turkish

batteries

on

the

Asiatic

side.

A

pontoon

pier

had

been

run out

from

the

shore to

her,

and

most of

the

troops

and

horses

have

been

landed on

it.

The

naval

lieuten-

ant in

command

took

me

over.

She

has been

shelled

incessantly

and

is

full

of

shell-holes,

but

strangely

there

have been

no casualties

among

those

on board

and

the

very

numerous

troops

that

have been

landed

from

her.

They

had

piled up

sandbags

as

protection,

and

the

little saloon

under the

bridge

was

untouched.

The French

use

the beach

and

the old

ruined

castle,

or

what

of

it

remains.

The

Asiatic

batteries

are

a

horrid

nuisance.

I wandered

back,

looking

at

the

ruined

forts

and the remains

of

the

labyrinth

of barbed

wire

which

the

Turks

had

erected

everywhere,

and trenches

which

wound

about

all

over

the

place.

It

is

almost

inconceivable

how

we

ever

effected the

landing.

I

came

back

past

Divisional

Headquarters,

and

talked

to

one

or

two

men,

and

looked

at

aeroplanes

in

the

aerodome

next

to

it.

I

think

it

is

this

they

keep aiming-

their

Black

Marias

at. A man

asked

me

if it

would

not be

possible

to

have

a

service

up

there.

Wednesday,

May

19.

—

I

started

off soon after break-

fast and

walked

a

long way

—

nearly

five

miles

—

right



102

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

up

to

the

R.F.

trenches.

I went

along

the

diffs

by

"X"

beach,

and

then

cut

across

into

the

gully

(to

which

I

have

often

referred

and

shall).

They

have

made

a

good

road

down

into

it.

An

artillery

colonel

walked

with

me

part

of

the

way,

and

part

the

chief

engineer.

The

road

drops

into the

gully,

which

is

very

deep

and

narrow

and

goes

all

the

way

up

the

bed

of

the

stream,

winding

along

through

steep

banks

covered

with

scrubby

bushes

and

quantities

of

flowers.

They

are

making

the

road

gradually,

and

it

is

a

regular

highway.

All the

time

the

"ping,

ping"

of

bullets

overhead.

I

am

always

a little

suspicious

of

the

stray

bullets,

which

have

a

way

of

dropping

into the

gully.

Eventually

I

came

to the

Headquarters

of

the

14th

Sikhs,

who

are

up

there

with

the

Gurkhas.

The

gully

runs

almost

parallel

to

the

sea,

the

Indian

Brigade,

to

which

the

L.F.'sand

Inniskillings

have

been

attached,

holding

the

line

from

"

Y

"

beach

to

the

bottom

of

the

gully.

I

next came

to

the

R.F.'s,

where

I found

M

in

command.

They

were

all

a

little

weary,

having

been

there

three

days

and

nights

in

the

trenches.

They

had

lost

three

men

killed

and

a

few

wounded,

but

had

got

a

draft

of

46

men

with

an

officer

and

X

and

some

25

wounded

back. To

get

into the

firing

line,

all that

is

necessary

is

to

climb

up

the

side

of

the

gully

and

go

straight

in

by

a communication

trench.

The Sikhs

hold

a small

part,

and then

come

the

R.F.'s

with

just

over

400

yards.

They

had

been

working

hard

im-

proving

the

trench,

and

got

it into

splendid

shape

wide

enough

to

walk

down.

It

all

wound

and

twisted

along,

with

men

sleeping

in little

niches

dug

under

the

forward

parapet.

They

get

their

water

suppy

even

up

there

by

sinking

tins

at

places

in

the

bottom

and

letting

the water

slowly

rise

into

them.

The

General



IN GALLIPOLI 103

arrived

while

I

was

there,

and

I went

along

with

him,

G

,

and

X . We

had

periscopes,

and

I

could

just

make out

the

line

of

Turkish

trenches

continuing

from

where

I

had

seen

them

before, right

across

the

peninsula.

Men

were on

the

look-out

at

intervals.

Sniping

was

going

on

all

the

time

and

one had to

keep

down.

There

was

a

splendid

machine-gun

position

at

the

end,

and while

I

was

there

they

saw

some Turks

digging

(though

I

could not

quite

see

myself),

and had

a

pot

at

them

with the

machine

gun,

till

they

stopped

in

a

hurry. They

seemed

quite

comfortable

in

the

trench,

and

quite

as secure as

we

are on

"

VV

"

beach.

It

was

very interesting.

I

came back

and

lunched with

the

officers and

had

a lot

of

talk

with

J

.

He

is a

really

Ai

fellow.

The

General himself

said,

"You

cannot

expect

to

find

J

s

on

every

tree."

Our

views

of

life

agree

very

much,

and

he

is much

more

original

than

most

officers,

being

a

good

Liberal

and

valuing

independence

and

detachment

above

all

things.

So

we

talked

a

lot.

Then

I

talked

with

M

and

others,

had

tea,

and

then

wandered

off

through

the Gurkhas'

trenches

to

"Y"

beach and saw the

L.F.'s

just

as

they

were

getting

ready

to

go

into

the

firing

line.

They

have

now

got

ten

officers

and

seem more cheered. It

was

rather

alarming

clambering

up

through

the

hills

and

into wired trenches.

I

got

into

the

wrong

ones

on

my

way

back

and made it much

longer.

I

love

the

Sikhs.

They

are

so

clean

and

handsome,

and

have

such

good

teeth.

They

seem

to

wash themselves,

their

hair

and beards

and

cooking-pots

in

the

water

in

the

gully

all

day.

I

had

some

talk

with

them

and

their

officers,

who

seem

very

nice. The

Gurkhas,

of

course,

are

charming,

but

I

did

not

have

much

chance

of

seeing

them.

I

got

back to

supper

with

the

R.F.'s



104

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

and

walked

back

by

the

light

of

the

new

moon,

taking

one

and

a

half

hours,

and

only

getting

in

at

9.30,

being

challenged

a

good

deal on

the

way.

My

servant

has

made

the

most

wonderful dug-out

in

my

tent.

It

is

just

like a

grave

about three

and

a half

feet

deep,

carved

away

underneath

on

the

side

nearest

the

enemy.

Earth

is

piled

up

round

the

tent

both

inside

and

outside,

and

half of

the

dug-out

is covered

over

in a most

ingenious

fashion

with

a

covering

made

of

sandbags

and

tins

full

of

earth

on

wooden

stakes

all

carefully

piled

up. So

I

shall

not

fly

any

more

to

the

beach.

Chances

are reduced

to

a

minimum,

and

I

am

probably

safe unless

a

Black

Maria

bursts

immediately

on

top.

It

is

very snug

to

sleep

in. We

don't

seem

to

have

had

any

Black

Marias

actually

the last

two

days.

The

first

night

I

slept

in

my dug-out

I

awoke

and

could

not

imagine

for

the

life

of

me

where

I

was.

I heard

the

sound

of

firing,

but

could

not

understand

what

it

was.

I

have

never

felt

so

absolutely

lost.

People

come

and view

my

dug-out

now

with

envy.

Thursday, May

20.

—

I

stayed

in

camp

all

day again

to

please

H

,

and

for

no other

purpose,

as

there

was

nothing

for

me

to

do.

However,

I

wrote

my

diary

and

various

letters

most

of

the

morning

and

part

of

the

afternoon.

I also

wandered

off

and

made

a

little

sketch

of the

River

Clyde,

and

"V"

beach

in

the

evening,

but

it

was

not

a

success.

I had

tea

with

W

of

the

cyclists,

and

a

talk with

Y

of

Headquarters

;

chief

of

staff,

I

believe.

I

knew

his brother

in

Canada.

The

artillery

have

been

short of ammunition

lately

and

it

has

been

difficult

to

make

any

progress.

The

Turks

do

not

seem

to

be short.

They

kept

pouring

in

shrap-

nel

all

over

the

place

all

day long,

but

did

not

bother

us

on

the

beach,

I

am

glad

to

say.

In

fact

we

have

not had

any

Black

Marias for some

days. They

seemed



a

2

o

z

D

fa

<

>

o

c

<:

o



IN

GALLIPOLI

105

to

be

after

the

French

artillery

more than

us.

So

I

spent

an uneventful

but

restful

day.

Friday,

May

21.

—

I

rode

off

after

breakfast

up

the

gully

to

the

R.F.'s

with things

for

the night.

As

I

was

riding

down

the

gully

who did

I

suddenly

come

upon

sitting by

the side

of it

but

Majors

Brandreth

and

O

,

who

were

both

returning

cured of

wounds

re-

ceived

the

day

of

landing.

This

was

a

very

cheering

sight

and

quite

unexpected. They

had

their

packs

with

them

and were

very

hot

and

tired.

I

insisted on

their

putting

their

packs

on

my

horse

and

walking

with

them.

They

seemed

quite

cheerful.

Great

rejoicings

in

the

regiment

to

see them

back.

Nothing

had

been

done

and

no

progress

made.

It

was

most

important

to

press

the line

of

trenches

forward.

Now

a

solution

of

all

troubles came

by

Brandreth

taking

command.

He

got

to

work

at

once

and

inspected

the

position

and

saw the

General.

It

was

decided

to

go

out

that

night.

I

stayed

with

them

all

afternoon.

They

had

succeeded

in

getting

a

few

men

out

in

pits

a

few

yards

in

advance

of

the

line. I

went down

the

trenches

again.

I

stayed

in

the

doctor's

dug-out

that

night.

Poor

L.

C.

Thomas,

who

had

been church

orderly,

was

shot

in

the

trench,

and I

buried

him

at

8.30.

Every

one

went

into

the

trenches

and

we

were

prepared

for

a

bad

night.

Fortunately

only

four men

were

wounded that

night.

The

first

was

hit

badly

by

one

of

our

own shells.

I

was

up

several

times

during

the

night.

Brandreth

insisted

on

going

out

himself

first

of

all

with

a

string,

150

yards

in

advance

of

the

trench.

Fortunately

he

was

unhurt.

The Turks did

not

seem

suspicious.

I

don't

exactly

know

what

happened.

Soon

after

one,

when

the

moon

had

gone

down,

M

took

his

com-

pany

out

and

they

started

to

dig

a

trench.

But

he

seems

to

have

got

suspicious,

and

ordered them

to



106

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

retire before

it

was

finished,

when

it was

not

really

necessary,

and

the

trench

was

only

dug

about two feet

down.

Everything

possible

was done

for

the

wounded

men. It

began

to

rain

in

the

morning,

but

did

not

go

on

very

long,

though

things

became

rather

muddy.

Brandreth

told

M

he would

have to

go

out

again

next

evening.

It

was

very

weird

sleeping

out

there.

We

were

in

a

dug-out

just

at the

bottom

of

a

steep

side

of the

gully.

A

little

winding

path

led

up

to the

firing

line.

The

ping

of

the

bullets

which

flev;

over

our

heads

re-echoed

down

the

gully.

Firing

went on

all

night

till

dawn.

Saturday,

May

22.

—

The

regiment

was dismal. The

night

had

been

rather

a

failure.

A nice

officer,

Webb-Bowen,

of

the

Egyptian army,

joined

it

in

the

course of the

day.

The

men

were

pretty

worn

out.

I

went over to the L.F.'s

in

the

morning.

I

had

to

climb

through

endless

trenches,

but

eventually

found

P in a

dug-out

on the

top

of

the

hill

overlooking

the

sea.

Nothing

much

had

hap-

pened

to

the

regiment.

They

were

busy

digging

and

improving

trenches

they

were

taking

over

from

the

Sikhs.

I

went

down and

saw

B and

Bromley

at

the bottom of the

hill

on

the

beach.

A

shell

had

just

dropped

there

and wounded

a man.

There is

no

se-

cure

spot.

I

was

trying

to

arrange

a

Celebration

for

next

day

(Whitsunday).

I

went back

all

through

the

L.F.

trenches

and

saw

most

of the

men,

and

got

back

to

the

gully

for

lunch. There was

a

lot of

firing

that afternoon.

It

appears

the

Turks

had

crawled

up

the reverse

side

of

the

little

hill

and

were

occupying

the

trench

the R.F.'s had

started to

dig

the

night

before.

This

was

only

natural. S

had felt

very

disgusted,

and

had

crawled

out

to

one of the

pits

dug

in advance

of

our

line.

But he

had

insisted on

going

on

further.



IN GALLIPOLI

107

Then

a

message

came

down

the

telephone

that

he had

been hit

in

the

head. So

we

were all

very

alarmed.

The

doctor

rushed

up.

Fortunately

it

turned out

to

be

only

fairly

slight.

He

had

crawled

on

with

two

men

to

try

and

stop

the

Turks

getting

into the

trench,

and

claimed

to

have shot five of

them,

and

enjoyed

his

day's

shooting.

Just

as

he

was

preparing

to

return he

was

hit

apparently

by

a

stone

knocked

up

by

a

bullet.

The

doctor could not

say

how

far

his

eye

had

been

injured.

We

put

him in

the

doctor's

dug-out,

and

he

was

quite

sensible

and

dictated

a

message

to

the

CO.,

and

gave

me his

mother's address

and

asked

me

to

write,

and

I

sat with him

a

good

time until the

bearers

came and

took

him

off.

I

stayed

on

with

the

regiment

till

evening. They

were

making

careful

preparations

for

the

night

attack.

It

was

to

begin

at

8.30.

At

the

last

moment

a

message

came

from

the

brigade

that

the

company

that was

to

go

out

was

to

expect

no

support,

as

they

were

afraid

of

a

Turkish counter-

attack,

and

the

main

trench

must

be

preserved

at

all

cost. I

had

supper

and

then had to

return,

as

I

was

to take

a

Celebration

in

camp

next

morning.

I

felt

very

anxious.

Whitsunday,

May

23.

—

My

Celebration

was

rather

a

fiasco.

H

had

arranged

it. I am

afraid

no one

in

camp

knew

anything

about

it. The

place

was

changed

to

a

tent

in

the

CCS.

at

the last

moment.

The

result

was

only

three

staff

officers

arrived

out

of

the

wholecamp.

Many

men

asked

afterwards

about

services.

I

felt

rather

disgusted,

as

I

should have been

with

the

R.F.'s. I

rode off

after

breakfast, and,

as

I

feared,

met

a

procession

of

stretchers on

the

way.

Almost

the

first

was

poor

M

with

a

nasty

wound in

the

thigh

from

a

hand

grenade,

but

quite

cheerful.

I

had

belter

tell

the

story

as

I

gathered

it.

At

8.30

his

com-



108

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

pany

crawled

out of the trench.

The

men

seemed

to

feel it was

a

counsel

of

despair.

The

officers knew

they

could

expect

no

support.

They

were

to rush the

trench

they

had

begun

with the

bayonet,

and then

dig

themselves

properly

in.

M

was

wounded

almost

at

once.

Webb-Bowen

was

then

in

command.

He

had

only

arrived

that

day.

He

was

wounded

twice

slightly,

but

insisted

on

carrying

on all

through

the

night.

Poor

Hall,

who

had

come

from

England

with

the

draft and had

only

just

left

Oxford,

was

wounded

and

died

of

wounds

shortly

after.

The

men

rushed

forward

magnificently,

almost

officerless.

There

was

a

perfect

hail

of

bullets,

and

then

the

Turks

started

throw-

ing

hand

grenades,

which

did

most of

the

damage,

making

ghastly

wounds.

The

men

did

not

seem

to

get

their

tools. In

any

case

it

was

impossible

to

stand

and

dig.

They

kept

it

up

all

night,

being

told

they

were

to

try

and

hold

the

trench

at all

costs.

It

became

perfectly

desperate.

The

rifles

jammed.

Eventually,

just

before

dawn,

J

was

sent

out to

tell

them to

retire. He

walked

three

times

up

and

down

the

line,

calling

out for

any

wounded,

among

a hail

of bullets

and

escaped

by

a

miracle.

Every

wounded

man

was

carried

back.

Eighteen

men

were

killed,

forty-six

wounded,

and

three officers

knocked

out

(poor

Webb-

Bowen died

next

night

in

the

CCS. as

a

result

of

his

wounds.

I

arrived

just

in

time

to

bury

Hall.

The men's

bodies

(except three)

had

not been

recovered.

It

was

a

miserable business.

The

service

did

not

come

off.

Fortunately

the

regiment

was

relieved

by

the

Wor-

cesters,

who

arrived

about

midday

and

took over.

Captain

Nelson

of their

regiment

went

into

the

trench

and

insisted on

looking

over

the

parapet,

and

was

shot

in

the head.

Richardson had had

a

terrible

night



IN GALLIPOLI

109

of

it

with

forty-six

wounded

and

ghastly

wounds

and

was

very

much

overstrained.

I

rushed

up

into

the trench

to see

if

I

could

help

get

Nelson

out,

but

I

missed

my

way.

However,

he

w'as

carried

out

and

his own

doctor

arrived.

I

have not

heard how

he

is

getting

on

since. After

lunch

the

regiment

event-

ually

moved off

down the

gully

to

the

reserve

trenches.

The

men

were

dropping

with

sleep.

I

went

with

them.

The

reserve trench

ran

about

looo

yards,

and

stray

bullets

were

flying

overhead

all the time.

I

walked

the

whole

way

down and

back.

It was

im-

possible

to hold

a

service,

so

I

decided to

go

out

next

day.

The

men were

glad

of

a rest.

When

I

got

back

I

looked into the

C.C.S.

and saw

M

and

Webb-Bowen,

but

they

were

asleep.

Poor

Webb-

Bowen

was

dead

next

morning.

The

way

in

which

Webb-Bowen

acted

all

through

that

night

is

beyond

praise.

He was

twice

slightly

wounded,

but

refused to

return.

He had

only

just

arrived,

and did not

know

the men

nor

they

him.

I

sat some time

with

him

before

he was

carried

ofif.

His

only

anxiety

was

for

four

of his

men

whom

he

had

been

unable

to reach

and

warn,

and

he

reproached

himself

with

not

having found

them.

As

a

matter

of

fact

they

all

got

back

safely.

I

learnt afterwards that

it

was the

Sikhs

who

largely

helped

to

save the

situation.

The

company

of

the

R.F.'s

was

in

danger

of

being

surrounded

by

the

Turks

when the

Sikhs came

out

to their

support.

They

came

forward

absolutely steadily

and

quietly

in

an

unbroken

line.

The men

were

enthusiastic

about

them.

I

remember

one

of

them

saying

to

me,

"I

have

changed

my

opinion

about

them

niggers

since

last

night."

Practically

all

the

R.F.'s

had

been

with the

regiment

in

India.

Monday, May

24.

—

I

spent

the

morning

at

a



110

WITH

THE


chaplains'

meeting.

First a

Celebration

for C.

of

E.,

taken

by

U

,

who

had

just

arrived and

is

to

be

senior

C.

of

E.

chaplain.

I

gave

two

of

them

break-

fast

afterwards.

At

ten

we

had

our

meeting

and

fifteen

were

present.

It

was

quite

informal.

Who

should

turn

up

but

Moore,

whom

I

had

known

in

Canada

I

knew

he was

about,

but he

did

not

know I

was

here.

He was

very cheery,

and

has had

a

tremendous

series

of

adventures

which

I

cannot

go

into here.

We

had

a

good

meeting,

the

main

object

of

which was to

com-

pare

notes

and

to

get

to

know

one

another.

A

fine

old

Scotch

Presbyterian,

E

,

and

an

elderly

R.C.

chap-

lain have

arrived for

the

base.

So

things

will

settle

themselves

better.

W^e

discussed

many

things

and

were

very

amiable,

and

decided

to meet

every

Monday.

Moore

lunched with

me

afterwards,

and later

on

I

rode

off

to

hold

a

service for

the

R.F.'s,

which

eventually

took

place,

after a

good

deal of

difficulty

owing

to

their

long-drawn-out

trench,

at

6.30.

The men

sat under

the

wall

of a

ruined house

while

bullets

whistled over-

head,

and

I

had

to sit all

the

time too.

I

arranged

a

Celebration

for

the next

morning

and

rode back

to

camp.

We

had a

good

deal

of

rain

in the

morning.

Tuesday,

May

25.

—

Rather

a

depressing

day.

Sub-

marines,

apparently

from

Germany,

are

about,

and

after various

excitements

have

succeeded

in

sinking

the

Triumph

at

12.30

in full

view of the

coast.

We

saw

all

the

torpedo-boats

rushing

up,

but do

not know

how

many

were

rescued.

It

seems

strange

having

a

base

under shell fire and

lines

of

communication

directly

threatened

by

submarines.

The

aerodrome

was

shelled

all

morning

and

one

aeroplane

wrecked.

I

rode

out

and

held

a

Celebration

at the

same

place

at

10

a.m.,

but

very

few

came.

I

think

they

were

pre-

vented

by

fatigues,

etc.

Then I

rode

down

to

Gully



o

o

S

^

u

O



t



IN

GALLIPOLI

111

Beach

and lunched

with

the

South

Wales

Borderers,

and

there

was

a

heavy

shower.

The Turks were

doing

a

lot

of

shelling-

everywhere.

Their

ammunition

seems

indeed

plentiful.

Our

batteries

may

not

fire

owing

to

shortage.

The

Turks

drop

shells

everywhere.

I

for-

got

to

say

that

the

day

before

I

buried

a

R.F.

He

had

been

shot dead

by

a

spent

bullet

right

in

the

reserve

trench.

While

taking

the

funeral one of our

shells burst

prematurely,

and there

was a

shower of

bullets

and

a

man

was

hit

(bruised only)

in

the

leg.

I

carried

on

and

paid

no attention.

The Turks

were

particularly

busy

this

afternoon.

They

dropped

shells

indiscriminately

over

all

our

reserves.

People

have the

most

wonderful

escapes,

but

occasionally

some

one

is

hit.

I

rode back to take

poor

Webb-Bowen's

funeral,

but

found

U had

just

taken

it.

Later

I

walked

round

part

of

the

camp

with

him

to

show

him

various

odd units which had had

no

services,

and

generally

explore

and

discuss.

I

also

wrote various letters

to

relations

of

the

dead.

I

wanted to

get

news of

the

Triumph,

but

could

not.

I

explored

a road

being

made

at the

foot

of

the

cliffs

to

"X"

beach

and

beyond.

There

are

corps

of

Egyptians

and

Greeks

doing

this.

We

make

very

little

progress,

there is a continual

wastage

of

men,

no

reinforcements,

and

now sub-

marines.

What is

going

to

happen

next

?

I

wonder

what

difference

Italy's

coming

in will

make.

Wednesday,

May

26.

—

I

stayed

in

camp

most

of the

morning,

writing my

diary,

and

at

mid-day

got

a

mes-

sage

asking

me

to

go

out

and

take

a

funeral for the

R.F.'s.

So

off

I

rode as

soon as

possible,

and found

a

poor

fellow

had

been

shot

through

the head.

There

had been a

tremendous

pour

of

rain

the

night

before

in

the

gully,

though

not

a

drop

had

fallen

on the

beach.

The

water

had

washed

away

a

good

deal of

the

road



112

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

they

had

made

up

the

gully,

and

the

trenches

were

almost

impassable,

so

they

had

been

walking

along

the

top

when

this

man

happened

to

be

hit. I

lunched

afterwards

with

the

regiment.

Eight

officers

arrived

while

we

were

lunching.

They

had

just

come

from

England.

It

appears

K.

I.

is

to

be

turned

into

a

re-

serve

army,

and

these

men

were

from it.

They

seemed

good

fellows,

though

rather

inexperienced.

Later

on

a

draft

of

150

men

arrived

with

some

very

senior

sergeants

in

it.

Then

news

came

that

one

of

the

Territorial

brigades

was

going

to

be

split

up

and

sent

to

make

up

the

battalions

of

the

29th

Division.

This

disgusted

them

all

a

good

deal.

Well,

I

left

them

and

rode

down

the

gully

to

the

beach

and

then

round to

"

Y

"

beach.

On

the

way

I

stopped

to

see

the

Dublins.

They

are

getting

new

officers. I

was

talking

to

the

adjutant

when

he

suddenly

said

to

me,

"How

are

all

the

people

at

home?"

and

he

turned

out

to

be

S

,

from

Egypt,

where

his

mother

and

sister are.

I

was

delighted

that

O'Hara

had

got

the

D.S.O.

He

richly

deserves

it.

Then I

went on

to

the

L.F.'s

on

"Y"

beach.

They

were

still in

the

trenches,

but

I

saw

B

,

and

he

told

me

they

were

coming

out

next

day

for

a

rest.

It

was a

fairly

quiet

day

on

the

left,

though

some

shells

dropped

pretty

close to

the

dug-out

which

he

was

using

as

headquarters.

P

and

two

others

had

been

lent

to

one

of

the

Territorial

regiments

and

they

were

getting

a

large

number

to

fill

up.

I

arranged

to

go

out and

spend

a

couple

of

nights

with

them.

I

had

tea

with

Q

and

rode

back

here

for

supper.

Thursday,

May 27.

—

I

was

awakened

by

my

servant,

who

told

me

the

Majestic

had

just

been

sunk.

She

sank

in

ten

minutes. I

believe

about

fifty

men

were

drowned

in

both

her

and

the

Triumph.

She

was



IN

GALLIPOLI

113

surrounded

by

small

boats,

mine-sweepers,

trawlers,

etc.,

at

the

time,

and the

torpedo

was

wonderfully

aimed

to

go

right

among

them

and hit

her.

This was

another

bit

of

very

bad

news.

The

destroyers

rushed

about

afterwards

all over

the

place,

and

have been

patrolling

up

and

down

incessantly

since,

but it

seems

impossible

to

destroy

a

submarine

in

such

deep

water.

I

did not

see the

Majestic

sink,

but those

who

did said

it

was

a

most

pathetic

sight,

so

close

to shore.

After

breakfast

I

fitted

my

saddlebags

and

rode

off

with

U

to

the

gully, taking

him

right

up

to

the

top

where

the

Worcesters

had

taken

over the

R.F.

trenches.

We

saw C

on

the

way.

I

left

him

there

and

went

back

to

the

R.F.'s.

The Territorials

were all

just

about

to

come,

and

everybody

was

busy

and

in

rather

a bad

temper.

Then

I

rode off to

the

89th

R.A.M.C.,

who

were

relieving

the

88th

and

had

a

dressing-station

near the West

Krithia road.

I

had

a

biscuit

for lunch

there.

They

only

had one or

two

wounded.

So

I

rode

off

and

left

my

horse

with the

L.F.

transport,

and

walked

from there

to

Gully

Beach.

I

saw the

Dublins

again

and found

they

were

going

down

to

"W" beach.

I

climbed

the

hill and saw a

New

Zealand

battery

and had some

talk

with

them.

I

was

rather

glad

I had

left

my

horse,

as

they

started

shelling

the beach.

I

made

my

way

round to the

L.F.'s

and had

a

cup

of

tea

with the

Gurkha

officers.

I

like

the

colonel.

Then the

L.F.'s

began

to

come out

of

the

trenches,

while

the

Inniskillings

took

their

place

and

the

Gurkhas

the

Munsters'.

There

was

a

good

deal

of

crowding

on

the

beach

while

the

change

was

taking

place.

It was

a

perfect

night

with

a full moon.

The

L.F.'s

had

just

got

their

Territorial

contingent.

But

it

is

wonderful

how

soon

they

settled

everything

up.

There

is

a

capital

fellow

who

always

looks after

me,

I



114 WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

Shelley,

a

South

African

V.C.

who

helped

save

the

guns

at

Colenso,

and

has

quite

lived

up

to his

reputa-

tion

here.

He

is

utterly

cool

and

fearless.

He takes

great

interest

in

me,

and makes

me

a

comfortable

bed

and

looks

after

me.

I

supped

with

B

,

Bromley,

and

Q

,

and

at

last

everything

sorted

itself

out

andi

there

was

quiet.

It

was a

wonderfully

peaceful

night,

and

I

had

a

good

sleep.

Friday,

May

28.

—

In the

morning

after

breakfast

I

went

with

Bromley

through

some

trenches

into

the

gully.

On

the

way

I

buried

an

Inniskilling

who

had

been shot

getting

water.

Shaw's

company

was in

the

gully.

He

was

very busy getting

his

Territorials

into

order.

I

arranged

to

come

over

and hold

a

service.

Then

I

went

down

the

gully

and

stopped

to

lunch

with

the

R.F.'s.

I

walked

down to

Gully

Beach

with

J

——

,

and

we

talked

of

many

things,

and

then

round

by

the

shore

to

"Y"

beach.

There

I

went

round

and saw

the

men,

and

had

a

service

at

5.30.

Not

very

many

came but

several

officers. It

was rather

a

bad

place.

Shaw

was

there

and

took me

back

to

his

company

after-

wards.

I

first

held

a

funeral

service

over

two

men

who

had

been

buried

immediately

behind

the

firing

line,

which

was

being

held

by

the

Sikhs.

One

of

the

men

was

Cowley,

who

had

performed

at

a

concert

I

got

up

at Nuneaton.

I

then came back

and had

a

delightful

service

on the

side of a

hill,

which

the

whole

company

of over 200

attended.

I

was

given

a most beautiful

supper

of

soup,

salmon,

fresh

beef,

and

two

vegetables,

bread and

jam

and

tea,

and found

Shaw had

got

his

company

into

splendid

order.

He

is

a

good

officer,

very

strict with

the

Territorials.

One

of the officers

e^scorted

me

back

through

the

trenches,

and

I

got

back

about

9

p.m.

and

had

another

good

night.

Saturday,

May

29.

—

I

had another

Inniskilling



IN

GALLIPOLI

115

funeral

(the

poor

fellow

had

been

shot

by

one

of his

own

men

returning

from

putting

up

barbed

wire),

and

had

a

Celebration

on

the

beach,

rather

nice,

with

about

twenty

altogether,

at

lo

a.m.

I

then

packed

up

and

sent

off

my

things.

They

suddenly

began

to

drop

6-inch

howitzer

shells

right

on

the

beach.

They

are

terrifying

—

a

huge

explosion

and

pieces

flying

several

hundreds

of

yards

round.

They

had

already

been

sending

other

shells

which

did

no

damage.

They

sent

several

more

as

I

crossed

the hill

into

the

gully,

but

I

believe

they

did

no

damage.

"

Y

"

beach

seemed

such

a secure

place.

I walked down

the

gully

and

lunched

with the

R.F.'s.

They

had

just

got

orders

to

go

up

to the

firing

line

again,

and

T

and

Brand-

reth

returned

from an

exploration

of the

's

trenches,

and were

very

disgusted

with them

—

no

communication

trenches

and

impossible

to

get

the

wounded out. I waited about

and

finally

went

with

J

and

T

over

to

brigade

headquarters,

where

we

had

tea

with the new

Brigadier

just

arrived from

France,

and

F

.

There was a

fair

amount of

shelling going

on

and

I

had a little

difficulty

in

getting

back,

via

the

Field

Ambulance,

to

where

my

horse

was.

I

saw

U when

I

got

in

about

Sunday

services.

Trinity Sunday,

May

30.

—

I

helped

U

at

a

7

a.m. Celebration

in

the

Post

Office

tent,

as

I

had

had

services

with

my regiments during

the week.

There

were

about

thirty

present.

Then

I

helped

him

with

a

service on Divisional

Hill

at

which

some

of the ar-

tillery

and

others

paraded,

and

I

took

the

Celebration

afterwards

with about

twenty-five

present.

It was a

hot and

oppressive day.

After lunch I

rode

off

to

the

R.F.'s.

A

service was

impossible

as

they

were

getting

ready

to

go

into the

trenches,

and

I

sat and

listened

to

all

the

problems,

and

was much

impressed

with

the



116

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

way

young-

Mundy

did

adjutant's

work

and

seemed

to

think

of

everything.

They

had been

digging

a

com-

munication

trench

all

night.

Further

investigation

had

made

them

only

more

disgusted

with

the

's

trenches,

and

1

saw

a

very

disagreeable

sight.

I

crossed

an

open piece

of

ground

going

to look

for

a

place

for

the

doctor to

make

a

dressing-station

in,

with

Mundy,

and

found two

corpses

which

must

have been

there

some

weeks.

It was

rather

a

bullet-swept

place,

but

they might

have

been

buried.

We

rescued

some

shovels

on

the

way

back.

Brandreth

returned

from

seeing

the

General,

and

I

listened

to

him

giving

out

orders for

taking

over

the

trenches.

The

regiment

has

now

increased

to

over

looo.

They

had rather

a diffi-

cult time

before

them.

Then

I

rode

back to

Divisional

Hill

and

held

a

service,

mainly

with the

Veterinary

Corps,

and later went

down

to

the

Dubsters,

w-ho

had

taken

up

their

abode

on

the

beach,

and

arranged

an

extemporized

service

in

a

big

tent

used

for

slightly

wounded

cases

who are able

to

do

light

work.

It

was

getting

dark,

and all

the

light

we had came

from

four

candles.

The

tent

was

filled

with all

kinds

of

men

and

we

had a

delightful

service.

I

preached

on

one

of

my

favourite

subjects,

Isaiah's

call.

Monday, May

31.

—

The

tragedy

of

the

moment is

that

I

have lost

my

servant.

He

was

a

good boy.

But

the

regiment

needed

him back.

I

hope

to

get

another,

but

at

present

am without

one

and

find it

a

great

nuisance.

I

missed

the

chaplain's

Celebration,

which

was

held at

eight

instead

of

8.30.

Four

new

chaplains

arrived

to-day,

among

them

I

,

whom

I

knew

well

at

Keble.

We

had a

stupid meeting

at

which

we

decided to

have

no

more

general

ones,

and

then had

a

C. of E.

one,

when we

discussed

what to

do

with

the new

arrivals.

Moore took

me off to see

Chater,



IN GALLIPOLI

117

who

is

now

adjutant

of

a Marine

battalion

at the

age

of

nineteen,

and then took

me

to

lunch

with

their

brigade

stafT.

It was

interesting

seeing

something

of

the

Naval

Division.

We

walked

off

later

to

the

French

lines

on

the

right,

and made our

way through

crowds

of

Senegalese

to

Morto

Bay

on

the

Dardanelles,

where

we

had

a

delicious

bathe,

and

talked

a

lot

to

an Austra-

lian

artilleryman.

It

was

very

interesting

discussing

the Colonial

point

of view.

One

discusses the

whole

situation

ad

infinitum

with

every

one one

meets.

The

whole

place

is full of

the

wildest rumours.

We

really

know

nothing

except

what

we

actually

see. A

leaflet,

the

Peninsula

Press,

is

published

every

day,

which

gives

only good

news.

Meanwhile

it seems

more

and

more

hopeless

to

take

Achi

Baba

by

a

frontal

attack.

Rumours

of

Italy

sending

an

army

corps,

Balkan

in-

tervention,

etc.,

fly

about.

It

has

been

a

very

quiet

day.

We

have no

artillery

ammunition

and

seem

powerless

to

advance without.

It is

getting

much

hotter. The

flies are

very

bad

and the

dust

terribly

thick.

However,

there

is

little

sickness.



CHAPTER

IX

THE BATTLE

OF

JUNE

4

(June

I

—

9)

Tuesday,

June

i

.

—

I

have

left

my

diary,

as

usual,

unwritten

for

a

week,

and

now don't

know

how

to

write

it.

Such

terrible

things

have

happened

since

1

last

wrote

that

they

seem

to

have

obliterated

all

else.

There

was

much

talk

of

the

big

attack

that

was to

be

made

all

along

the

line,

to

be

preceded

by

an artil-

lery

bombardment.

The

R.F.'s

had

gone up

into

the

firing

line

on

Sunday

evening

to

prepare

for

the

attack.

I

wandered

over

to

brigade

headquarters,

partly

to

see

F

,

and

partly

to find the

way

to their

trenches.

F

I

found

laid

up

with

a

broken

ankle,

the

result

of

a

fall.

He was

carried

off later

to

hos-

pital,

and the

newly

arrived General was

deprived

of

his

Brigade-Major.

The Battalion C.O.'s

were

there

having

a

pow-wow,

and

I

waited

about

till

they

were

gone,

seeing

Brandreth

coming

out. Then

I

had

a

chat

with

F

.

I

told him

it

was

absolutely

impos-

sible to take

Achi Baba

by

frontal

attack.

He

said

he

was

quite

optimistic,

after

the

wonderful effects

of

an

artillery

bombardment.

Then

I

got

into

the

gully

and made

my

way,

via a

long

trench,

into the

R.F.'s

headquarters,

where

I

found

Mundy,

and had

some

lunch.

He

was

quite

cheerful.

They

were

having

lots

of

digging

to do. He

took me

round to

show

118



WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

119

me

what

they

had done.

There

was a

perfect

labyrinth

of

trenches,

and

I went all

through

them,

saw

J

in a

dug-out,

and found a

lot

of

digging

going

on.

The

regiment

was

very

large,

with

drafts,

and

Territorials,

and

new

officers. Brandreth

had

been

called

off

to

another

pow-wow.

More

trenches

still

were

to be

dug

that

night. Every

one

was tired

out.

However,

it

had

to

be

done.

Then

I

rode back

to

camp.

Wednesday,

June

2.

—

So

far

as

I

remember,

I

spent

most of the

day

in the

R.F.'s trenches.

They

had

made

wonderful

progress

in

digging,

but were

pretty

well

worn-out.

I

made

a

very

elaborate

tour of the

trenches,

and

buried

various

people.

Their

graves

had

to

be

dug

in

the

side of the trenches.

I

buried

two

in one

grave,

a

New

Zealand

officer,

killed

some

three

weeks

before,

in

another,

and

a

young

Terri-

torial

N.C.O.,

killed

while

getting

some water

while

I was

there.

The

whole

place

is

littered

with un-

buried

dead.

Amphlett

took me all

through

his

part

of

the

trenches,

rather

dangerous

in

places

from

en-

filade

fire.

A

young

officer,

one of the

new

arrivals,

passed

me

on

my

way

out,

and

I

was told he

was

Romanes,

from

Oxford,

but

I

had

no

chance

to

speak

to

him.

Thursday,

June

3.

—

I

again

rode

up

the

gully,

left

my

horse

there,

and made

my

way

through

the

L.F.'s

trenches

to

"Y"

beach.

I

went

all

along

the

firing

line,

and

had

a

good

look

at the

Turkish

trenches

and

barbed

wire.

I

saw

Shaw,

and

chatted

with

him,

and had

some

lunch

with

B in

his

dug-

out.

Cunliffe

returned from the Territorials while

I

was

there.

I

went back

eventually

through

the

sup-

port

trenches to the

gully,

and went over

to

see

the

R.F.'s from there.

I

was

feeling

a

little

upset,

had



120

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

slept

a

good

deal

during

the

afternoon,

and

had rather

a

headache,

so

I

did not

go

into

the

trenches,

but

had

supper

with

Brandreth

and

Mundy

(whom

I have

never

seen

again).

They

got

a

message

while

I

was

there

to

say they

were

to

be

ready

for

the

attack the

next

day.

They

had had

a

little

rest

that

day,

and

there

was to

be

no

digging

that

night.

Friday,

June

4.

—

I

got

a note

from H

,

saying

I

was

in

no

case

to

go

beyond

the first

field

dressing-

station

of

the Field

Ambulance.

Otherwise

I

think

should

have

gone up

to

the

R.F.'s

dressing-station.

A

and

I

decided to

change

ambulances,

as

my

men

would

go

to the

88th,

and his

to

the

89th.

We

started

off

together

just

before

the

bombardment.

I

suppose

the whole

thing

will

go

down

to

history,

so

I

need

not dwell

on it

unnecessarily.

At

11

a.m.

the

artillery

started

to fire

for a

quarter

of

an

hour,

then

paused

for

another

quarter,

when

the

troops

in

the

trenches

were

supposed

to shout

and

wave

bayonets

so

as to

get

the

Turks

into

the

firing

line,

then another

half-hour's

bombardment.

All

we

could

see

was a

line

of smoke and dust

all

across

the

peninsula

where

the

Turkish trenches

were,

as

the

shells

fell

incessantly

all

along

the

line.

These

things

have

been

often de-

scribed.

Certainly

it

seemed as

though

a

Turk could

not be

left

alive

anywhere.

Then at

twelve

it

stopped

(or

was

supposed

to),

and

the rifle and

machine-gun

fire

took

its

place.

We

were

in

a

dug-out

near the

Pink

Farm,

and

bullets

began

to

drop

round

us,

one

dropping

onto

A

's

boot,

so we

decided

to

retire,

and

had

some

lunch

at

the

89th

dressing-station.

Some

bullets

even

got

as

far

as there.

The battle

raged

all

afternoon.

I

could

make

nothing

out

even

with

glasses.

I

waited

for some

time,

but

no

wounded

seemed

to come in.

It was

impossible

for them to

come



IN

GALLIPOLI

121

over

the

open among

the

hail

of

bullets

that

fell.

So

I

made

my

way

down

to

Gully

Beach with

R

,

who

happened

to

come

along.

There

we found the

slight

cases

beginning

to

come

in

in

crowds

to

the

87th

Field

Ambulance.

I

saw

several

of

the

R.F.'s,

and

gathered

they

were

advancing.

But

I had

learnt

before

that

it

is

impossible

to

get

accurate news from

the wounded.

They

are

naturally

a

little

over-

wrought,

and

only

know

just

the

part

where

they

happen

to

be. We

waited round a

little,

and

then

started

up

the

gully.

The

gully

was

in a

perfect

tur-

moil,

of

course,

guns going

off on

all

sides,

and the

crack

of

the

bullets

tremendously

loud.

They

swept

down

the

gully,

and

one

or two

men

were

hit. I

cannot

imagine

anything

much

more

blood-curdling

than

to

go

up

the

gully

for the

first time while a

fierce battle

is

raging.

You

cannot

see

a

gun

anywhere,

or

know

where the noise

is

coming

from. At the head of the

gully you

simply go

up

the

side

right

into the

trenches.

You

see

nothing

except

men

passing

to

and fro at the

bottom,

and there is

the

incessant

din

overhead.

Well,

I

went on

up

to

the

88th

dressing-

station,

two

thirds

of

the

way

up,

and found them

very

busy.

More

R.F.'s

there.

I

went

right

up

to

the

head

of the

gully

to

an

advanced

post

of

the

87th,

and

found

that the

R.F.

dressing-station

had

gone right

up

to

their

support

trenches,

where H

had

been

so

emphatic

I

was not

to

go.

I

am

quite

sure

it

is

just

the

place

I

should

have

been.

So I

returned

to

the

88th,

and

asked

if

I

might

stay

the

night,

as

L.F.'s as well

as

R.F.'s

were

coming

in.

I

found

S

,

one

of the new

officers,

slightly

wounded

in

the

arm. A

terrible

battle was

going

on.

Several

officers

killed

;

J

and

others

wounded.

However,

I found

it

impossible

to

gather

much

from



122

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

him.

The

doctors

gave

me

some

supper

in

a

very

secreted

sort of

hollow

in

the side

of

the

gully,

and

after

I

had been

around

and

seen all

the

wounded,

and

no

more

seemed

to be

coming

in,

I

rolled

up

in

a

blanket,

and

had

a

good

sleep despite

the

ceaseless

hail

of bullets.

I

was

up

about

4

a.m.,

and

went

down,

to find

J

rather

badly

wounded

through

the

thigh,

and

in

a

good

deal of

pain,

but

very

cheery.

I

was

with him

on

and

off most

of ttie

morning,

till

they

took

him

away.

I

was

really

rather

glad

he

was

as

bad

as

he

was,

as

it

gave

some

hope

that

he

might

survive

the

war. A

large

number of

wounded had

come

in,

and

the

wagons

came

up

all

morning

to

clear them.

Saturday,

June

5.

—

Later

I

went

down

to

Gully

Beach and

found

C

.

The

place

was

very

full of

wounded,

who

were

being got

off

on

boats as

quickly

as

possible.

I

was

feeling very

weary,

so

I

lay

down

in

C 's

dug-out,

and

slept

most

of the

morning.

Then

I

walked

round

along

the

coast to "Y"

beach

to

see the

L.F.'s.

Everywhere,

of

course,

I

was

hear-

ing

about the

battle.

The

left

had been held

up,

unable

to advance. The

centre

had advanced. The

casualties

very heavy.

I

found

B

and

Bromley.

Clayton

and

Cunliffe had been

killed,

Shaw

was

missing.

Three

companies

had

gone

out,

and the

total

casualties were

450.

They

had

just

had

a

large

draft

of

officers,

and

twenty-five

officer casualties

altogether.

I

saw

some of them on

the

beach

waiting

to

be

moved.

Later

on

I

walked

through

the

firing

line

with

B

and

Bromley.

The

whole

situation

was

terrible

—

no

advance,

and

nothing

but

casualties,

and

the worst

was

that

the wounded

had not been

got

back,

but

lay

between

ours

and the

Turks'

firing

line.

It

was

im-

possible

to

get

at

some

of them.

The

men

said

they



IN

GALLIPOLI

123

could see them move.

The

firing

went

on

without

ceasing.

I

saw the

General,

and

he

said

the

Sikhs

had

lost

even

more,

all

their officers

gone,

and

only

1

80

men

left.

The

5th

Gurkhas,

who

had

just

arrived,

had had

heavy

losses.

And

all this

with

no

gain

whatever.

He took

it

quite

philosophically.

No

news

of

dear old

Shaw.

It

appeared

the

artillery

had

not

done

the

damage

to

the

enemy

they

were

supposed

to

do,

and

the

moment the advance started their

machine

guns

played

along

the

top

of

the

parapet,

and

not

a

man

got

even

up

to the

enemy's

trenches

on the

left.

The

General

had

suggested

putting

up

a white

flag,

and

some

one

going

out

to

the

wounded.

They

tried

this

later,

but

it

failed. I

buried

eighteen

of

them

in.

one

grave

while I was

there.

Several

had

been killed

by

our

own

shells,

including

Shelley,

the

South

African

V.C.

The

majority

of

the

bodies

are

still

lying

out

there.

In

the

gully

I

buried

four more

who

had

died

of wounds.

I

walked

back to "W"

beach,

feeling

very

sad.

I

have

known

few officers who took such care

of their

men

as

Shaw.

He was

very

strict

and exact.

But

he

seemed

to

neglect

nothing.

His

C.O.

said

he

felt

he could

leave

him

absolutely

alone,

and

knew

no

one

on

whom he could more

implicitly rely.

He was

a

splendid

soldier,

and

quite

tireless. He

led his

men

out

that

day

in

perfect

order,

and

I

have

heard

no

more

of

him

since,

except

a

report

from

one

of

the

men

that

he

saw him fall.

Clayton

and CunlifTe

were

two other

first-rate

com-

pany

commanders.

In

fact,

I was

always

tremen-

dously

impressed

with

the

careful,

quiet

way

the

L.F. officers

did

their

work.

Sunday,

June

6.—

I

was awakened

very early by

the

sound of

furious

fighting.

It

had

gone

on ever since



124

WITH THE


Friday

midday,

but

now

was intensified.

At

7

a.m.

I

went

to

a

Celebration,

and

then

off

to

the

89th

dress-

ing-station

on

the

West

Krithia road.

Nothing

hap-

pened

all

day.

I

did

a

good

deal

of

digging,

as shells

w^ere

dropping

around,

and

they

had

no

very

secure

place

for

wounded.

I

wandered

off,

and

saw

E

,

the

R.F.

Quartermaster.

I

don't think

he

had had

news

by

then of

the

morning's

battle.

I

forget

when

I

heard.

The Turks counter-attacked

early

Sunday

morning,

about

3.30.

Dear

Major

Brandreth,

hear-

ing

the

firing

on

his

left,

went

off

to

see

what was

hap-

pening.

He

was last seen

calling

to

the

's and

's,

who were

breaking,

to come on.

Two

men

say

they

saw

him

hit

in

the neck.

Mundy

went

off

at

the

same

time,

and

I

can

get

no

news

of

him.

T

was

hit,

but

got

away.

This

left

only

G

of the

original

officers,

and all

the ones

who had since

joined

were

gone.

I

forgot

to

say

that the

day

before

I

had

seen

young

Romanes

carried

down

to

the

dressing-

station

with a

shrapnel

wound in

the

head

—

no

chance

of

recovery,

I

fear.

He

was

quite

unconscious.

I

hung

round

the

rest

of

the

day,

dodging

shrapnel,

had

a

nice

service

in

the

evening

with

some

Engineers

who

had

been

on the A

with

me,

and

then came back

to

camp.

Major

Brandreth,

who

was

in

command of the

Royal

Fusiliers at

the

time,

and

was

presumably

killed

on

the

morning

of

June

6,

was

greatly

beloved

by

the

regiment

which he led so

gallantly.

He

had

been

wounded at the

landing,

but

when

he returned

at

once

threw

himself

with

remarkable

energy

and

devotion

into the

tremendously

difficult

task

that

lay

before

the

regiment.

He

was,

in

my

opinion,

a

type

of

the

perfect

English

gentleman,

unfailingly

courteous to

every

one,

heedless of

danger,

indefatigable

in

his



'A

<

H

Z

H

Z



IN

GALLIPOLI 125

work,

and

possessed

of

an

absolutely

simple,

straight-

forward

character.

The men

and

officers

all

loved

him.

Personally,

I

think

I

felt his

loss

more

keenly

than

anything.

Several

ofiicers

were

killed

on

June

4,

but

I

had

been unable to

get

to

know them all.

They

had

recently

arrived

from

England,

and

were the

first

of

the

new officers to

join

the R.F.'s.

They certainly

were

a

splendid sample

of what

the

new

armies

could

produce.

I

can

only

single

out

two

for

special

men-

tion.

Captain Amphlett

assumed

command

of one

company.

One

of

the

officers

under

him

had

been

with the

regiment

many

years,

having

been

regimental

Quartermaster-Sergeant.

As

he

lay seriously

wounded

afterwards

he

said

to

me,

"

I

never

wish

to

serve under

a

better

officer than

Captain

Amphlett."

I

remember

him

taking

me round his section

of the

trenches,

a

very

dangerous

one,

and

showing

me

all

the work

he

had done

to

improve

them

and

construct

overhead

cover,

etc.,

where

necessary.

He

seemed

to

make

himself

one with his

men,

and

worked

ceaselessly

for

them.

They

soon

got

to know

him

and

value

his

character.

He was killed

shortly

after the

attack

commenced.

Captain Jenkinson's

death

was,

I

believe,

described

later

in

llie

Times as one of the

greatest

losses

to

science

since the

war

began.

He

stood

quite

alone

in

England,

if not the

world,

in

his

own

subject.

Embryology,

and had

recently

embarked

on

a

course

of

highly

specialized investigation

in

that

subject,

in

which he

was

a

pioneer.

I

later met

some officers

who

told

me

that

their

hope,

when

at

Oxford,

had

been

that

when

they

had taken their

degrees

in

science,

they

might

be

able

to

attend

his

lectures.

He

had

such

a

quiet,

modest nature

that

I

fear

none of

us at

the

time

realized

his

reputation.

He had

recently

been

gazetted

captain,

but

said

nothing

about

it,

pre-

ferring

to

act

as a lieutenant. His letters show

what

a keen student

of

Nature

he was while

on

the

pen-

insula,

and

how

the

historical

surroundings

of

the



126

WITH THE


place

appealed

to him.

Strangely enough,

the

three

other

pioneers

in

Embryology

have

all

died

within six

months

of

his

death.

Monday,

June

7.

—

Our

usual

chaplains'

meeting

in

the

morning

was

hardly

successful :

only

H

,

U

,

and

A there.

We decided

to

try

and

get

a

tent

for

daily

services,

and

to

get

U more defi-

nitely

attached

to

the CCS.

I

was

longing

for news

of

the

R.F.'s,

but

they

had

not

come

out

of

the

trenches

yet.

The

battle

had

been

raging

pretty

incessantly.

I

cannot

remember

what

I

did that

afternoon.

I

think

I

went

to the

89th

station

on

the

West

Krithia

road,

where

very

little

was

doing.

The

86th

Brigade

was

to

be

reconstituted,

with

Y

as

Brigadier.

The

R.F.'s would be out of

the trenches

that

night.

I

discovered

X in

the

hospital,

with

a

bad

wound

in

the

stomach.

He

was

taking

it

very

well.

He

had

been

hit

on

Friday

soon after

the

advance,

but

had

been

got

back

into the

trench,

where

he

lay

for

twenty-six

hours.

He

said

he

could

not

imagine

that

pain

could

have been so

great,

or

an

experience

so awful.

The

battle

raged

all

the

time,

and

he did

not know

if

the

Turks would

retake

the

trench.

Of

course

lying

still

was

the

best

thing

for

his wound.

He

lay

in

hospital

several

days,

and

seemed

to

be

doing

well when

they

took

him

off.

He

said his

verse for

the

day happened

to

be,

"

I

reckon

that

the

sufferings

of this

present

world

cannot be

compared

to

the

glory

that

shall

be

revealed,"

and

that

the

words

had

helped

him

to

bear

up

more

than

any-

thing

else.

From

a

letter dated

June

7

:

—

"A

very

terrible battle has

been

raging

the last

three



IN

GALLIPOLI

127

days.

I

must not

say

anything

about

it,

but

I

think,

either

killed

or

wounded,

I

have lost

every

friend

in

my

special

regiment.

I

have not been

able

to see

them

yet,

but

hope

to this

morning.

I

must

not

give

any

numbers

or

facts.

I

suppose

everybody

in

England

now

is

beginning

to realize

what war

means.

The

lists from

France are

terrible.

It

is

absolutely

inevitable

they

should

be

so

in

trench warfare. To

win

a

victory

is

practically

an

impossibility,

and

there

can

be

nothing

but

a

deadlock,

and endless

slaughter.

I

see

these

young

fellows come out

from

England

full

of

patriotism.

They

go

straight

into

the

trenches,

and

are killed

in

a

day

or

two. At least

this

is

the

result

of

my

observations.

Meanwhile,

I

have

a

job

in which it

is

part

of

my

duty

to

protect

myself

and

keep

out

of

danger.

It

seems

so unreasonable that

certain

people

should

have such

jobs.

I

have

to

sit

in

safety

while

my regiments go

into

action,

and

my

friends

are

lying

untended between

the

trenches.

And

yet

we must not be

overwhelmed

by

the

misery

and

sufferings

of

war.

I

feel so

absolutely

certain

that

these

men

will

find their

reward

in

ways they

never

before

dreamt

of. Their

sufferings

will

be their

blessing.

I am

so

glad

you say

people

in

England

are

brave about

it all. We think

a lot about

them.

I

don't think

anything

worries a soldier so

much

as

thinking

others

are

worrying

over

him.

Of

course

they

cannot

help

it,

but

their

bravery

will

help

him.

Everybody

does

hate

it

all

so

terribly.

I think

it is

better

they

should.

It would

be

rather terrible

if

they

liked

it

—

so

unnatural.

One

so

easily

becomes

faith-

less

and

says,

"To

what

purpose

is this

waste

?

"

But

there

must

be

a

great

underlying

purpose,

and

men

who

feel

it

all

must

turn

to

God,

and leave

it

with

Him.

The

battle

never

stops,

and

there

is

no

spot

free

from

shell fire.

They

started

shelling

the beach

last

night

from

the Asiatic

side after

we were

all

asleep

;

but

fortunately

they

did no

damage,

though

one

shell

spluttered

earth

onto

my

tent. But

one

gets

quite

cunning

at

avoiding

shells.

Only

they

have

a

stupid



128 WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

way

of

dropping

them

at

any

moment

on

any

spot,

quite

at

haphazard.

And

no

place

within

two miles

of

the

firing

line

is

free

from

stray

bullets,

which

drop

into the

most

unaccountable

places,

and

occasionally

hit

a

man.

However,

these

are

little risks

that

cannot

be

avoided."

Tuesday,

June

8.

—

I

went

to

Gully

Beach,

where

I

found

what

was left of

the

R.F.'s,

and

stayed

with

them

till

Friday.

It

was

so

tragic.

I

came

out

with

such a

magnificent

regiment,

with

such

regimental

pride,

and

such

a

united

and

delightful

band

of

officers.

Only

one

left,

G

,

the

former

Sergeant-

Major,

besides

the

Quartermaster.

He

was

asleep

when

I

arrived. There were

Corporal

M

,

and

the

other ofHcers' mess orderlies

—

but

no

mess.

The

regi-

ment

had

dug

incessantly

for five

days,

and then

fought

incessantly

for

three

days. They

had

lost five out

of the

six

remaining

officers,

all

the

ten

officers

who

had

recently

joined

them,

and

somewhere about 200

of

the

remaining

men.

Of

the

original

regiment,

including

transport,

stretcher-bearers, etc.,

140

were

left.

The

Sergeant-Major

was

still

there,

and

seemed

all

right,

but had to knock

off

work

for three

days.

G was

quite

played

out.

I

made

every

possible

inquiry

during

the

following days

after Brandreth

and

Mundy.

Two

men

said

they

saw

Brandreth

hit in

the

neck

;

one

said he

saw his

orderly

—

since

missing

—

bandage

him

up.

But

no one had seen his

body.

Mundy

was

quite

lost

sight

of.

Were

they

wounded

prisoners?

Not

likely,

but

just possible.

The men

were

wonderfully

cheery.

They

take

things

very

calmly,

and

were

glad

to be

on

the

beach,

where

they

could

get

plenty

to

eat,

and

plenty

of

sleep

in

perfect peace

and

bathe

as often as

they

liked.

Corporal

M

gave

me

some

supper,

and we

tried



IN

GALLIPOLI

129

to

pretend

it was the same

mess.

A

scout

party

went

out that

night

to

try

and discover the

bodies

of the

dead,

but could

do

nothing

owing

to

the

heavy

fire.

Dear

old

Brandreth,

it

is

too

terribly tragic.

I

would

give

anything

to

know where he

is. And

Mundy,

too.

I am

only glad

that

J

has

got

a

sufficiently

serious

wound to

keep

him

away

from

it

all

for a

good

while.

I

collected

the

regiment

in

the

evening,

and

spoke

to them and tried

to cheer them

up.

I

slept

with

G

in

his

dug-out,

and

tried to

cheer him

up.

E

,

the

Quartermaster,

appeared,

and

was

very

cheery.

Wednesday,

June

g.

—

I

stayed

on

at

Gully

Beach

with the R.F.'s.

I wanted

to look

after

the

mess,

and

help

keep

them

going

if

possible.

A

Captain

Taylor,,

of the

Dublins,

arrived to

take

command.

He was

followed

by

a

number

of

officers

from

different

regi-

ments.

A

draft

also arrived

in

driblets

—

altogether

about

200

men,

making

the

grand

total

up

to

nearly

500.

The

new

officers

were

all

strange

to each

other

and the

regiment.

I

believe

there are about fifteen of

them now.

I

find it

difficult

to

get

to

know

them.

There

was

absolutely

none of the old

regimental

feel-

ing

left.

I

slept

with

one

of

the new

arrivals

that

night

and the

following.

The

mess

swelled to

large

numbers,

and we were

alw^ays having

visitors.

The

88th

Brigade

were

relieved,

and I

awoke to

find

the

Hants

streaming

down.

They

only

had

100 odd

fight-

ing

men

left,

and

no officers

;

so

there was

one

regiment

worse

than

ours.



CHAPTER X

IN

ABERDEEN

GULLY

(June

10

—

27)

Thursday,

June

10.

—

I

awoke to

find

the

Munsters

had

streamed down on

the

top

of us.

They

had been

with

the

DubHns in

some reserve trenches on

the

top

and had

had

a

tremendous

shelling.

The L.F.'s

had

also come

down

during

the

night.

I

had

been

with

them the

day

before.

The

officers had a most

beautiful

and

commodious

dug-out.

The

Brigade Headquarters

were

close

by.

But

the

Turks

dropped

three

9*2

Black

Marias

among

them

that

evening,

killed

an

R.F.,

wounded three

who

were on

guard

and

several other

men,

including

a

young

Munster officer

just

attached

to the staff

who

later

died

of his wounds. So

every-

body

made

for

the

beach

that

night,

and

there

was

a scene

of

the

most

tremendous

confusion

and

crowd.

I

saw

the

L.F.'s

several

times before

they

moved.

P had had

a

lot of

fever and looked

very

pulled

down.

Bromley

seemed to be

keeping everything

going.

Despite

their

enormous

losses

they

still

had

over

500

left

as

they

had had

a

very

big

draft,

and

there

seem

to

be

plenty

of

officers about. B

was

very played

out

too. He

has

now

gone

off"

to

Imbros for

a

rest,

and P

has

gone

as

well.

I

spent

my

time

wandering

about

among

the

regiments

and

seeing

all

kinds

of

people.

The

gully

has

become

130




DIVISION

131

practically

the

base

for

the

29th

Division.

The

Divi-

sional

Headquarters

are

there

now,

and General De

Lisle

has

just

arrived as

Divisional

General.

The

Re-

serve

brigades

are

put

on

the

beach

and

in

the

gully

now.

Stray

bullets

are

very

bad.

They

drop

at

a

tremendously

sharp

angle,

and men

may

be

hit

any-

where,

and

occasionally

are.

It

makes it

feel

a

little

uncomfortable.

At

night

when

the

firing

is

heavier,

we used to

hear them

drop

into the water.

But

the

beach is

practically

safe

from

shell

fire.

Friday,

June

1 1 .

—

I

stayed

on

till late

evening, going

up

the

gully

a

bit,

bathing

with

the

L.F.'s,

and

holding

two

services,

one

for

the

R.F.'s

in the middle

of

the

crowded

beach,

and one with the

L.F.'s

up

a

little

quiet

gully.

All

the

end of

the

week

we

had

very

bad

wind

which

blew

the sand about

everywhere,

and made

things

very disagreeable

and

people

rather

snappy.

The

first

regiments

of the

new Lowland

Division

had

arrived. It

seems

so terrible

taking

these

boys

and

making

them

attack a

position

like Achi Baba.

They

put

them almost

straight

into

the

firing

line

so

as

to

rest

the

poor

88th

Brigade,

but could

only

keep

them

there

three

days.

The

Turks

went

on

shelling

all

day,

so

that

the

battle

which had

begun

the

previous

Friday

may

be

said

only

to have

died

down

that

night.

The

feeling

of

strangeness

in

the

R.F's

did

not

wear

off,

and

of

course the new

arrivals were

feeling

a

little

gloomy.

In

fact it has

been

exceedingly

difficult re-

covering

from

the

effects of

the

last

battle. The Divi-

sion

now

is

practically

unrecognizable,

despite

the

drafts.

I

think the

South Wales

Borderers

have the

largest

number

of

original

officers

left

—

eight.

Of

course it

is

no

use

brooding

over

it,

or

worrying

about

those

who

have

been

killed,

or the fact

that

we

did not

succeed

on

Friday.

This

is

war,

and

one must

harden



132

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

one's

heart

and

live

in

hope.

But one

lives in

a

curious

sense

of

insecurity.

There

is

not

a

spot

on

this

part

of

the

peninsula

which

is

in

our

hands

that

is

free

from

shell

fire.

Most

of

it

is

within

range

of

the

bullets.

And

submarines

are

continually

prowling

about,

cutting-

off our

shipping

or

sinking

our

men-of-

war.

They

don't

seem to

bother

over small

supply

boats,

which

still

lie

anchored

off

"W"

beach

quite

calmly.

I

got

in

about

9

p.m.

that

night,

and

just

as

I

was

going

off

to

sleep they

started

dropping

Black

Marias

close

to

us,

a

very

alarming

experience

at

night.

They

did not

actually

fall

in our

camp

and

1

think

did

no

damage,

but

their

explosion

at

night

is

terrific.

They

came

across

the

water

from Asia.

The

original

Asiatic Annie

only

fired small common

shells,

which

did

little

damage.

She

fired

at

a

supply

boat

for

some

time

next

morning,

but

did

not hit

it.

But

we

don't

like her new friend.

Shell

fire is curious.

It

only

occasionally

does

any

damage,

and

then

quite

unex-

pectedly.

I

think

I

felt more

terrified

as I

lay

in

my

dug-out

that

night

than at

any

other time.

Saturday,

June

12.

—

I

have

been

having

a

good

deal

of

trouble

about

my

batman which

I

need

not

go

into

in detail.

The

A.S.C. had

at

last

sent

me

one,

but he

knew

nothing

about

horses,

and

consequently

was

rather

miserable and asked

to

be

returned.

So

I had

to let

him

go,

though

he was

a

good boy.

Now

I

hope

to

get

one

of

the

Field

Ambulance

men

whom

I

had

before,

which will

be

much better.

I

spent

part

of

the

morning

discussing things

with U

and H

,

and

sat

a

good

deal

writing

in

the

tent while

the

wind

raged

and

the sand

was

intolerable. I

took

a

funeral

in

the

middle

and

the

sand

simply

stung

my

face.

The

wind

delayed

the

landing

of

troops

and

stopped

the

aeroplanes.

I

walked

off

to

the

gully

in

the after-



LOOKING UP

GULLY

KAVI.\E.

THIS WAS

THE

MAIN

LINE

OF

COMMUNICATION ON

THE

LEFT

CENTRE

GULLY

BEACH

AT

THE

MOUTH OF

GULLY

RAVINE

The Headquarters

of the

were

established

on

the

Tents



IN

GALLIPOLI

133

noon

and had tea

with the

loth

Battery,

where

young

L

is,

and

arranged

a Celebration

at

the

White

House,

the

end

of the

support

trenches

in

which the

R.F.'s

are.

I

also

looked

in

on

the

brigade

officers

who now

have moved into the

gully,

and

I

gave

out

the

service

to

various units.

It

was a

w-onderfully

peaceful

day

—

very

little

firing

of

any

kind.

Sunday,

June

13.

—

I

had

a

heavy

day.

First a

Cele-

bration

at

7

a.m.

on

"

W"

beach.

Then I

walked

into

the

gully

and had

another

Celebration

at

10

a.m.,

at

the

White

House,

to

which

not

many

came.

Later

a

parade

service for the

460th

Howitzer

Battery,

which

I

enjoyed

much.

The

Major

is a

delightful

man. He

was

in

France,

and is

very

happy

here,

and

has four de-

lightful young

officers under him whom he has

trained.

I

think

they

must be Territorials.

I had

a

very

plea-

sant

lunch

there.

The

wind was

less

violent

and

there

was

very

little

firing again.

I

walked

to

the head of

the

gully

and had

a

little

service for the

Munsters,

then

back

to

Headquarters

of

86th

Brigade

and had

an

evening

service

there.

I

so much

prefer

these

little

open-air

services.

I

walked back

here,

and

felt

pretty

dead

when

I

got

in.

Monday,

June 14,

and

Tuesday,

June

15,

mixed

up.

—

The

advanced

dressing-station

of

the

89th

Field

Ambulance

was

to

move

up

to the

top,

or near

the

top,

of

the

big

gully.

So

I

decided

to

go

with

them,

especi-

ally

as

my

brigade

was

up

in

the

firing

line.

I had

a

boy

in

the

ambulance

given

me

as a

servant,

a much

more

satisfactory

arrangement.

So

I

sent

him

up

in

a

wagon

with

my

things.

We

had

a

little

clerical

meeting

that

morning.

C has

gone

sick

with

dysentery.

It

is

getting

rather

prevalent,

and

most

of

our

insides are

more

or

less

upset.

At

the

meeting

I

heard A.B.

of

Jerusalem

and late

of

Smyrna

had



134

WITH

THE TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

just

arrived as

chaplain

to

the

newly

arrived

Lowland

Division. So

I decided

to

ride

over that

way

and

try

and see

him.

Their

camp

is about

a mile

from

"

W

"

beach.

They

are

all

dug

in

as

every

one has to

be

now.

I

inquired

of a

Presbyterian

chaplain

who

pointed

out

where

he

was,

and

as

I was

riding

over to

the

place,

suddenly,

without

any warning,

a Black

Maria from

Asia

dropped just

about

ten or fifteen

yards

immediately

in

the

direction

I

was

riding

and

made

a

terrific

explosion,

throwing

bits

of

earth

out

of

a hole

about

ten

feet across

and four and

a half

feet

deep

for

a tremendous distance around.

My

horse turned at

once and

bolted,

and for

quite

an

appreciable

time

afterwards

pieces kept

dropping

all

round

us.

I

as-

sure

you

I

did not check

him,

and

postponed

my

visit

to A.B. A few seconds later

and

I

should not

be

writing

now.

Another

dropped

about

200

yards

from

me,

and I

made

off

for the

gully

as

quickly

as I

could.

They

have

been

strewing

them

indiscriminately

all

over

the

peninsula.

They

are

extraordinarily alarming,

but

only

occasionally

do

any

damage,

and

then

usually

to

horses

and

mules,

which

have

been

slain in

quantities,

poor

things.

However,

they

at

any

rate have

the

ad-

vantage

of

being

shot

if

badly

wounded.

One

day

during

the week

they dropped

150

shells

on

"W"

beach,

half of

them

Black

Marias.

I

only

know

of

two

men

actually

killed,

but

every

one was

tremendously

alarmed.

I

wonder if

people

at home

realize

that

we

are

fighting

under

these

conditions.

You

cannot

get

out

of

danger.

You

cannot

rest

a

regiment

without a

few

men

getting

hit

every

day

by

stray

bullets

or

shrapnel.

Of

course

some

places

are

better

than

others,

but

none are

absolutely

immune.

It

is a

wonder to me

how

calmly

every

one takes

the

situation.

Then

added

to

all

this

we hear

the

Turks



IN GALLIPOLI 135

are

bringing

up

twelve

lo-inch howitzers and

that

che-

mists have

arrived

in

Constantinople

to

make

artificial

gas,

and

we

have

all

been

provided

with

respirators.

It is

impossible

to

advance

more

than

a

few

yards

at

a

time

and

that

at enormous cost.

However,

we

hear

that two

divisions

of Kitchener's

Army

are

on their

way,

which is

excellent

news

if

true.

Do

people

realize our

conditions,

I

wonder,

in

Eng-

land

?

I

don't

quite

see

why

we

should

be

the

only

people

who

do.

If

we

are

wrong we

will

gladly

be

corrected.

It

seems

so

unfair that

the

people

who

have

to

do

the

thing

have

absolutely

no

say

in

the

planning,

and

further,

that

they

should be

volunteers

for

the

pur-

pose.

The

German

idea is

perfectly

intelligible.

One

is

taught

from

the earliest

that one exists for the

State,

and

that

the State

has

absolute

right

to

control all its

citizens.

It

says

"Go

here,"

and

you

go

without

ask-

ing

a

question.

We

say

that the State exists for the

interest

of

its

citizens

to serve

them,

and that

England

is

a

free

country.

The

voluntary

system

seems abso-

lutely

incompatible

with war

neither initiated nor con-

trolled

by

the

people.

I

have

just

read

these

pages

to

one

of

our

doctors

and

asked

him

if

he

considers

it

a

truthful

statement

of

fact,

and

he

says

absolutely, only

perhaps

I

am

inclined to

be

a

little

pessimistic.

I

have

no

desire

to

be

pessimistic,

only

truthful,

and

I

hate

a

false

optimism

which

tries

to

pretend

that

everything

is

going

well when

secretly

one

feels

very

doubtful.

The men

are

marvellous

—

even

now

in

the

29th

Divi-

sion,

which

must

have

lost

as

many

men

and

more

officers than it started

with.

I

think if

facts

were

abso-

lutely

clearly

faced

at

home

we are still wise

and

great

enough

to

find a solution .

The

whole

nation

—

not

merely

volunteers

—

will

have

to

back us

up.

One

sees

so

many

things

one did not see

before.

Personally

I

have



136

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

absolute

faith

in

our

capacity

as an

Empire

to

bring

everything

to

a

successful conclusion.

I

am

not

at

all

pessimistic

there.

It

is

only

our inconceivable

stu-

pidity

and

muddle

and

incompetence.

Why

should

not

every single

person

in

the

Empire

take

their

own

share,

and do or

give

whatever is asked

of them

?

It

would

make it

much easier

for

everybody.

We

only

want

to feel

that we

are

all

doing

our

part

and

putting

forth

our best

energies.

Only

we must

all

be

told

the

plain

facts and

needs,

and

realize all

the

difficulties and

look forward a

little. This would save us

from

panic

and

worry

and

every

one would

feel

perfectly

calm.

I

think the

Colonies are

teaching

us a

great

lesson.

The

spirit

of

the Australians and New

Zealanders here is

beyond

all

praise.

Well,

perhaps

I

am

only saying

what

people

generally

are

thinking,

and

if

so

it will

all

come

right,

and

the

needless

sacrifices

we

have

made

will

not

be so

needless

as

they

appear.

Per-

haps

even

those

in

high

positions

will

learn.

I

slill feel

it

is

all

so

good

for

us.

So

why

am

I

a

pessimist?

Well,

to

resume.

I

rode

up

to

the

dressing-station,

which

I

must

describe. It

is

about

500

yards

from

the

firing

line

in

a

little

gully

called

Aberdeen

Gully

(as

the

89th

come

from

there),

which runs

off from

the

big

gully.

A

narrow

path

about

fifty yards

long

had

been

cut

out

of

the

bed

formed

by

a

stream,

now

dry.

The

path

runs

up

into

a

little

natural

amphitheatre

in

the

cliff,

about

fifteen

yards

in

diameter.

The

sides

of

the

gully

are

almost

precipitous,

but

it has

been

widened

enough

at

places

to

make

a

dressing-station,

cook-house,

and

officers'

mess,

and

the

amphitheatre

is

also

used

as

a

dressing-station

if

necessary.

It is

almost

absolutely

safe,

but

bullets

have

a

way

of

drop-

ping anywhere,

and

a

man

got

one

in

his

arm

la.st



IN

GALLIPOLI

]37

night,

and one was at

the

foot

of

my

dug-out

this

morning.

My dug-out

is reached

by

a

little

flight

of

steps

partly

cut out of

the soft rock

and

partly

made

of

sandbags.

It

is

only

just

large

enough

for

me,

and

is

cut

into the rock with

a

piece

of

corrugated

iron

as cover.

It is

very

snug

and

away

from

people,

and

I

sleep

on

pine

branches. There

is a mountain

battery

close

by

which

they

shell a

good

deal,

and

pieces

come

flying

over

us

at

times.

It

is

pretty noisy,

as

every-

thing

re-echoes

in

the

gully,

and

always

at

dusk

the

Turks

start to

fire and

bullets

whirr

overhead inces-

santly.

When

a

battle is

on

there is

a

good

deal

of

shrapnel

bursting

all

around,

and it

is

rather

alarming

;

but the bullets are

really

the most

dangerous.

I

spent

the

day mostly

in

preparing

my

dug-out

and

fixing

things

up

generally,

but

slept

in

the

theatre

that

night.

I

had

a

very

nice

little

service

with

the

Munsters,

who

were in the reserve

trenches,

and

arranged

for a

Cele-

bration

the

next

morning

in

the theatre.

I

found

an

officer who was

very

keen to have

one.

But

they

had

a

little battle next

morning

{Wednesday, June

i6),

and

the

Munsters had

to be

called

to

arms. The Dublins

were

attacked

in

a

curious

trench,

which

we

share

with

the

Turks,

with a

barricade

between.

The

Turks

came

out

and

threw

hand-grenades

at

them,

and

they

had

about

50casualties(iokilled),

but

claimed to have

killed

about 200 Turks. This

meant

that the Celebration

I

had

arranged

was

upset

and

only

one officer

appeared.

However,

we

had

one

together.

I

had been

all

through

the

trenches

the

day

before,

and

it

was

interesting

to

see the

trenches which the

Turks had

dug

and which

we

now

occupy.

The

L.F.'s

were

in

them.

Bromley

is

now

both

CO.

and

Adjutant,

and seems

very

much

to

enjoy

it.

I

think B

,

who has

gone away

for

a

rest,

was

getting

a

little

played

out,

and

Bromley

finds



138

WITH THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

it

easier

to

be

adjutant

to

himself.

P

had

also

gone

sick

with malaria.

That and the

following

days

I

spent

around

the

gully,

and

did

not

go

away

farther

than

down

to

the

beach.

We

opened

the

station for

patients

on Wed-

nesday

and the

87th

cleared

off,

and

we

have been

handling

practically

all

the

patients

since. There

are

only

a

few,

except

when

there

is an

actual battle.

I

took

the

opportunity

of

being

here

to

do

some

writing,

and

hoped

I

would

have

plenty

of

time,

but

it is

sur-

prising

how

it

goes.

Just

above

us

a

mule-track leads

over

the

hill

down to "Y" beach on

the

other

side,

where

the

Indian

Brigade

is

holding

the

line

between

us

and

the sea.

I

often

go

up

to the

top

to a

place

where

the

artillery

have

an

observation

station,

and

it

is

possible

to

see the

whole

peninsula

behind

and

the

maze

of trenches

in

front,

and

watch

any

artillery

work

that

may

be

on,

and look all

over

the

sea and

see

what

ships

are

about.

They

often

drop

shells round

us,

as

there is a

mountain

battery

close

by

which

draws

a

lot of fire.

On

Friday

(June

18)

I

went

down

to

Gully

Beach.

The 86th

Brigade

had been

relieved

on

Thursday

morning

by

the

87th,

and

were

in

camp

on

the

beach.

I

wanted

to

see if

there

would

be

any

opportunity

for

holding

services.

I

saw

the

Dublins and

Munsters

camping

in

the

gully

on

the

way.

The L.F.'s

and

R.F.'s were

next

door on

the

cliffs.

They

were to

be

inspected

by

Brigadier

Y

,

so

I

arranged

a

little

service

immediately

after in

between

their

lines,

and

we

had

a

very

nice

little

gathering

on the

beach.

The R.F.'s

seem such

a

strange regiment

now

that

I

have seen

very

little

of

them

lately.

I

don't

find the

officers

so

friendly,

of

course

they

hardly

know

each

other,

and

it

is

impossible

for them

to

have

any



IN

GALLIPOLI

139

corporate

feeling.

CD.

,

who

came

out

with

the

last

draft,

is

now CO.

W

of the

cyclists

has

also

joined

them.

The

other

officers

are

just

a

scratch

lot

got

together

anyhow,

I

feel

more

at

home

with

the

L.F.'s,

as

Bromley

is

still CO.

I

went

to

hold

a

service

with

the

Dublins

and

Munsters

afterwards,

but

they

did

not come.

A

battle

was

just

beginning,

and

we could hear the Turks

giving

our

trenches

at

the

top

of

the

gully

a

violent

bombardment,

and

soon

bullets

began

to

hail

down. It

started

about

6.30.

No

one

was

expecting

anything.

A

lot

of

the shells came

farther

down

the

gully.

I

started

to

go

up

to

the dress-

ing-station,

but the

bullets were

getting very

thick

and

I

turned into a

dug-out

on the

side

of the

road.

One

or

two

struck

the road close to

me. Then

I

saw

an

ambulance

wagon

pass

and

got

into it.

Close

to

the

White House

we

found

every

one

cowering

in

their

dug-outs,

and

they

shouted

to us to

gallop.

A

mounted

orderly

came

tearing

up

to

us

and

said,

"For

God's

sake

gallop."

They

had

just

been

shelling

that

bit

of

the road

heavily,

so we

galloped,

and

the

wagon

swayed

from side

to side. It was

quite

exciting.

Several

horses

had

been killed. At

last

we

got

up

to

the

dressing-station,

but the

wagon

took cover

for

a

bit

before

leaving

with

the

few

patients

we

had.

The

battle continued

all

night,

and

the

firing

was

very

heavy.

The wounded started to

come

in

pretty

soon,

slight

cases

as

usual

first. I

decided

to

stay

up

with

the

doctors.

There

is

little

one

can

do,

except

distribute

cigarettes

and

say

a

word

or

two to the

men.

They

came

pouring

in all

through

the

night. They

had had

a

tremendous

shelling

over the

dressing-

station,

as

evidently

they imagined

w^e had reserves

in

the

mule-track

trench

just

above

it.

Major

Archibald



140 WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

of

the

engineers

was hit

up

there

and

Davidson

went

off to

see

him,

but

he

was

too bad to

be

moved.

As

the

night

went

on

we

got

more and

more filled

up

until

every

place

was

taken.

We

had

to

send

up

to

"W"

beach for another

bearer

party,

which arrived

about

2.30

a.m.

under

Maurice,

and

got

safely

through

the

bullets. We were

really

wonderfully

fortunate

in

having

no

casualties

among

the

bearers,

who

were

con-

tinually

going

up

to the

regimental

dressing-stations

for

cases,

with

bullets

flying

about

everywhere.

The

cases were

very nasty

—

a

number

of them

caused

by

hand-grenades.

We

had over a

hundred in

that

night

and

the next

morning.

There

were

two

officers

of

the

South

Wales Borderers.

One

died

after

they

had

taken

him

away,

I

heard.

I

sat and

talked

a

good

deal

with

another

officer,

a

nice

fellow,

with a

painful

but

not

dangerous

wound.

Fortunately

the

88th

next

door were

able

to

open up,

else

we

could

hardly

have

taken

in

every

one.

The battle

went

on,

on and

off,

next

day

(Saturday,

June 19).

It

was

all

over

the

trench

we share

with

the

Turks,

where

the

Dublins had

had their

little

fight.

Farther

down

the

line the

s broke

and

the

Royal

Scots

and some

Worcesters

had

to

go

to

their

help

and

retake

a trench.

Altogether

I

know

of

about 200

casualties,

mostly

South

Wales

Borderers

and Innis-

killings.

I

had

a

good

many

funerals

to

take that

morning, among

them

Cass,

an

officer.

They

said

that

heaps

of

Turks

had been

killed,

if

that

is

any

consolation,

and

that

they

had

managed

to

retake

every-

thing.

It

was

rather a

nasty

little

battle,

but

nothing

compared

to

June

4.

I

went

down

the

gully

in the

afternoon to

arrange

services

for

Sunday.

We

cleared

all

the

wounded

pretty

quick

and

it

was

practically

empty

when I

got

back.



IN

GALLIPOLI

141

Sunday,

June

20.

—

I had

no

Celebration

myself,

but

rode down

to

the

beach,

where

I

has

a tent

now

close to

the new

Divisional

Quarters,

where a Cele-

bration

for

every

one

is

held.

I

breakfasted

after

with

the

L.F.'s

and

then had a

parade

for

them

on

the

beach,

the

first formal

parade

I

have

had

—

quite

a

large

crowd.

The

Brigadier

came

halfway through.

Then

I

had

a

smaller

parade

with

the

R.F.'s

next

door,

and

afterwards

climbed

the

cliff

to the

460th

Battery

and

had a nice

service

with

them,

lunching

with the officers

after

it.

They

are

extremely

pleasant.

Batteries al-

ways

are.

They

do

not have

many

casualties

and are

able

to

keep

their

identity,

and don't have

a

very

hard

life

or much

strain,

and

are

consequently very

cheerful.

Then

I

walked

all

along

the

top

of

the

cliff

to

other

batteries,

and

eventually

returned

to

the

New Zealand

Battery

and

had

a

service there,

and

then

came

back

and had

one

here

in

the

theatre

for the ambulance men

and some

others.

It

makes

a

splendid

place, being

absolutely

closed

in. So

I

had a

fairly

heavy

day.

Monday,

June

21.

—

I

rode off

to

"W

"

beach

for

the

chaplains'

meeting,

to

which

only

a few turned

up,

and

lunched with

the

Field

Ambulance.

Then

I

rode back

by

the

cliffs and

found

A.B.

at

the

ist

Field

Ambulance. He

w'as

in

great

form,

full

of

energy

and

quite

happy,

and

it

was

nice

seeing

him

again

and

talking

over

things

of

years

ago

now.

Then I

saw

F

on

Gully

Beach.

He

had

just

returned after

having

been

away

with a

sprained

foot.

He was

much

distressed

about

the

miserable

June

4

battle,

and

I

felt

very

inclined to

say

I

told

you

so. I

w^alked

up

with

him

to see

the

L.F.'s,

and then

back

to

Aberdeen

Gully.

I

cannot remember what

happened

that

week,

day by

day.

It

was a

quiet

week

and

the

weather was

plea-



142

WITH


sant.

We

had

nights

with

practically

no

firing.

The

brigade

went

up

into

the

firing

line,

I

think

on

Thurs-

day.

They

had

the

trenches

on

the

right

of

the

gully.

The

L.F.'s stayed

down

in

the

support

trenches

by

the

White

House,

and the

R.F.'s and

Munsters

were

in the

firing

line,

and the

Dublins

partly

in

the

support

trenches

by

the

gully

cemetery.

I

had

one

or

two ser-

vices

during

the

week,

two

in Aberdeen

Gully.

The

doctors

are all

very

pleasant

and

nice to

be

with.

They

come

out

for

four

days

at

a

time

each with

their

sec-

tions

of

bearers

and

orderlies.

As

a

rule

they

are

very

slack

with

practically

nothing

to

do.

I

wandered about

during

the week a

good

deal. One

day

I

rode

down

to

^'

W

"

beach

to

see

Hordern,

the

principal

chaplain

for

the

whole

army,

who had

just

arrived from Alexandria

for

a

couple

of

nights.

He

was

very

nice and

we dis-

cussed

many

things.

H

has

gone.

Other

days

I

was

either

down

with

the

regiments

on the

beach or

up

in the

trenches

or

supports

to

see

them.

Also

Sunday

had to

be

arranged

for. There

was

very

little

fighting

on our

side

all week.

The French

had a

battle,

and

made a small

advance

after

a

most

tremendous

bom-

bardment

lasting

on

and

off

for

three

days.

A most

welcome

mail

arrived

during

the

week,

and

I

managed

to write

a few

letters,

but

seemed

to

get

no

opportunity

of

writing

my

diary.

Then

came

Sunday

—

a

busy

day

with

six

services

—

very

hot.

I

had

a service

with

the loth

Battery

at

11.30,

and

lunched

with

them

afterwards.

During

the

afternoon

the

368th

Battery

across

the

gully

from

us

was

being

shelled

and

the

scrub

got

on fire.

Some

men

went

to

put

it

out,

and

one

was

killed

and

two

wounded.

So

my

service

with

them resolved

itself

into

a

funeral.

Going

back

up

the

gully

all

was

preparation

for

the

coming

battle.

i

had heard

all

the

details

from the

artillery

people.



IN

GALLIPOLI

143

I found

the

L.F".'s

bivouacking

in

the

gully

and

had

a

little

service

with

them.

Then

I had one

in

Aberdeen

Gully.

I

was

very

tired

and

went

off to

bed.

I

had

an

alarming

experience

that

night.

I

think

1

have

described

my

little

perch

cut

in

the

cliff

on

the

right

side of the

gully.

Immediately

above

it

runs

a

mule-track

which

goes

over

to

the sea.

It is

the

way

by

which

they

carry

all

provisions

to

**Y" beach.

There was

a

great

deal

of bustle

that

night

;

mules

^oing

to and fro

all

day.

I

had the usual

internal

upset

and

was

lying

in

my

little

dug-out.

It

was

covered

by

a

piece

of

corrugated

iron

set

on

some

fairly

strong

posts.

I was

suddenly

awakened

about

2 a.m.

by

the most terrific crash. It

seemed as

though

the whole world was

falling

on

me.

I

felt I

was

being

buried

alive,

and

struggled

into

a

sitting

position,

earth

pouring

off

me. I

heard a

voice

shouting

and

wailing

and

groaning

above

me,

and I

shouted

out

to

ask

what

on

earth

they

were

doing.

"Oh,

he

kicked,

sir,"

was

the

only

answer I

could

get,

followed

by

more

groans.

Then

a

lot

of

the ambulance

people

collected.

I

was

sleeping

in

pyjamas

and

a

dressing-gown,

and

shouted

out

I

was

all

right.

The

whole

dug-out

was

a

mass of

debris

covering

all

my

things.

In

the

middle

of

it

all

lay

a

water

tank

with

the

water

pouring

out.

How

I

was

not

killed

I

don't

know.

It

turned

out

that

a

mule

with

two

tanks

full

of

water

had fallen

down

about

twenty

feet

onto

the

top

of

me,

and

had

then

rolled

into

the

gully

and

trotted

off

unhurt.

I

was

not

even

scratched.

I

slept

on

a

stretcher

down

below

for

the

rest of

the

night,

and

have

now

made

myself

a

new

shelter

at

the

bottom.

The work

done

by

the

87th,

88th,

and

89th

Territorial



144

WITH THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

Field

Ambulances attached

to

the

29th

Division

is

de-

serving

of

much

praise.

Being

attached to

the

89th

Field

Ambulance,

which

in

turn

was attached

to

the

86th

Brigade,

I

naturally

saw most of them.

The

medical

and

surgical

skill

of

the

doctors

was of

a

very

high

order,

but

had

little

opportunity

to

show

itself.

Either there

were

very

few

cases

coming

in,

or

there

was a

tremendous rush

making

it

possible

to

do

very

little

beyond

redressing

the

wounds

which

had

already

been

dressed at

the

regimental

dressing-stations.

But

the doctors

were

very

anxious

to

do what was

possible

when

the

rush

was

not

too

great

to

clean

up

the

wounds

and

perform

minor

operations,

and

in

many

cases

managed

to do

this later on with

very

beneficial results.

They

always

seemed

anxious to do

as

much

work

as

possible,

and

were

ably

supported

by

the

orderlies

and

stretcher

squads.

At

the

89th

we

succeeded

in

mak-

ing

a

very

snug dressing-station

in

Aberdeen

Gully,

where

the

patients

might

be

secure

and

undisturbed

while

shells

burst

overhead.

Of

all

the

medical

work

I

saw

in

hospitals

and

else-

where,

and

I

saw

a

great

deal,

nothing

could

exceed

the

devotion

of

the

regimental

doctors,

orderlies,

and

stretcher-bearers.

The

29th

Division

was

exception-

ally

fortunate

in

their

medical

officers.

No matter

how

fast the

cases

poured

in

they

went

on

working

till

all

w'ere

attended

to.

If

one

regimental

dressing-station

was

full,

the nearest

doctor

would

always

lend

a

hand,

and on

occasions

one would

find men

of

various

regi-

ments

in a

regimental

dressing-station.

The

stretcher-

bearers

went

out

amidst

the

greatest

danger quite

fear-

lessly

to

bring

in

their wounded

comrades,

and would

go

on till

they

dropped

with

exhaustion.

They

often

had to

carry

a

patient

down

nearly

a

mile

of narrow

trench

till

they

could

find

the

dressing-station,

which

had

to

be in

a

comparatively

safe

spot,

and

many

lost

their

lives

doing

so.

I

well

remember

seeing

one

of

the

regimental

medical

officers one

day

lying

seriously

wounded.

He had

heard

that

one

of

the

officers

in

his

regiment

who

had



IN

GALLIPOLI

145

g-one

out to the attack

lay

in

front

of

the

trench

and

was

still

moving.

Without

hesitation

he

jumped

over

the

parapet

and

tried

to

get

to

him,

but was wounded

in

the

thigh

on

the

way.

He

had

shown

singular

devotion

in

his

work,

and was

always ready

to

assist

any

regiment

when not

busy

with

his

own.

All

the men

I

saw

were enthusiastic

about

their

medical

officers.



CHAPTER

XI

THE

BATTLE

OF

JUNE

28,

AND

AFTER

{June

28

—

July

14)

Monday,

June

28.—

Another

battle.

Oh,

how

ter-

rible

they

are

It

began

at

10

a.m.

in

earnest,

with

a

terrific

artillery

bombardment,

which

had

started

the

night

before.

At

11

a.m.

the

infantry

went

out

and

the

wounded

started

to

pour

in.

First

the

slight

cases

able

to

walk,

in crowds.

Everything

seemed

to

be

going

well.

The

Turks

were

on

the

run

and

we had

got

a

line

or two

of

trenches.

Then

later

on

in came

the

stretcher

cases,

and

kept

coming

all

night

and

next

day

till

about

2

p.m.

We

had

five

doctors

fortunately,

and

five

wagons

working

the

whole

time

clearing

the

wounded

down

to

Gully

Beach.

In

twenty-four

hours

we

had

had

500

wounded

through,

and

the

88th,

who

are

next

door,

about

the

same

number.

We

were

about

as

full

as

possible

all

the

time.

Eight

died

here,

but

were

unconscious.

The

heat

was terrific

and

the

flies

were

simply

awful.

It

was

impossible

to

keep

them

off.

I was

not

feeling

well

and

was

pretty

limp.

There

is

little

I

can

do.

The

men

are

just

longing

for

the

wagons

to

take

them

away.

We

had

men

from

all

regiments.

The

majority

seemed

to

have

shrapnel

wounds.

Our

artillery

had

given

such

a terrific bom-

bardment

that

the

Turkish

infantry

simply

disappeared

and

only

the

guns

played

on

the

advancing

troops.

But

the

rifle

fire started towards

evening,

when the

146



WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

147

Dublins lost

heavily.

I

went

over to

"Y"

beach in

the afternoon

to see

how

they

were

getting

on

there,

and

found

them

full of

wounded,

about

400

cases

alto-

gether.

An

artillery

officer

was

lying

there

with

his

leg

blown off.

He

died

afterwards.

I was

there,

so

I

did not

stop.

The

L.F.'s

and

R.F.'s had made

the

last

advance,

and

I

gathered

had

lost

practically

all

their

newly

collected officers.

I was

so

tired

that

I

slept

part

of

the

night,

but was

up

at

dawn.

They

had

been

evacuating

all

night.

Tuesday,

June

29.

—

We

had

a

visit

from

the

General

in

the

morning.

He

was

in

a

terrible

temper.

Every-

thing

was

in

a

muddle.

Where

was

the

medical

officer

?

How

many

stretchers could

he send off at

once

to

J

1

1,

which

he had

found

still full of

wounded?

Kellas,

who was

in

charge,

said he would see.

"

Don't

talk

so

much.

Don't

go

away.

I've

got

you

now.

Can

you

send

6,

50,

500?"

"Oh,

perhaps

six."

"Well,

send

them

up

immediately

under

a

medical

officer."

So

I

volunteered to

go

as

well,

and

we even-

tually

made a

party

of seven stretcher

squads

(four

men

to a

squad),

two

doctors,

and

myself.

We

went

up

the

gully

to

J

II,

the

newly

captured

trench.

It was inter-

esting

to see the

gain

of

ground

and

the

things

left

behind

by

the

Turks,

especially

after

having

looked

at

it

all

so

long

through

a

periscope.

After

many

in-

quiries

we found

J

11,

but understood that there

were

no

wounded,

and

that

the

General

had

been

sending

all

kinds of

stretcher

squads up.

However,

we

decided

we

must

go,

and

went

a

long way

along

till

w^e

got

to

the

Gurkhas.

We

found

one wounded

man,

and

two

more

were hit while we

were

there.

Meanwhile

thirty

men had

been

taken

away

from their

proper

employment.

The

stretcher

squads

should have been

carrying

the

men from

the

regimental

dressing-station



148

WITH THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

to

the

Field

Ambulance,

and

we

were

getting urgent

requests

for this

all

the

time.

However,

Generals

have

to

be

obeyed,

and it was

quite

interesting.

We

gained

about

1000

yards

along

the

sea-coast

and

500

along

the

gully.

The

R.F.'s

came out

with

three

officers

out of

the

ten

and

250

out

of

the

500

men,

the

L.F.'s

with two

officers

out

of

ten

and

220 out

of

400

men.

The

Dublins lost

ten

officers killed

and

one

wounded

and

236

men;

the

Munsters

not

so

heavily.

Fitz-

CIarence,a

fine

officer

just

arrived

tothe

R.F.'s

;

Floyd,

an

original

Dublin

who

had

been in

the

M

with

me;

Bousefield,

such a nice

boy,

also

an

original

Dublin,

who had been

wounded;

Taylor,

and

many

others

were

amongst

the

killed. The

new

Lowland

Division,

just

arrived,

lost

very heavily

in

the

left

centre,

their

Brigadier being

killed and three

Colonels

laid out.

The

Indian

Brigade

and

the

other

brigades

of the

89th

Division

also lost

a

good

deal.

The

total

casualties

must

have been

at

least

3000

with

the

usual

enormous

number of

officers.

I have

since

heard that

a

brigade

of the

newly

arrived

Lowland

Division,

some

3000

strong,

went

out

to take H

12,

a trench in

front

of

our left

centre.

There

had

been

no

previous

artillery

bombardment

The

result

—

only

about

1300

came

back,

the

Brigadier

and

two

Colonels killed and

some

1

700

men knocked

out,

practically

nothing

gained,

and

almost a

whole

brigade

put

out of

action.

These

things

seem

to

happen

every

battle.

The

amount

of

unnecessary

lives

simply

thrown

away

is

appalling.

Well,

we

managed

to

get pretty

clear

in

the

afternoon,

though

they

kept

coming

in all

the

time.

The

87th

Brigade

relieved the 86th

during

the

day

and

the

poor

remnants

of

regiments

came

out

for

rest.

It

was a

terribly

hot

day,

the

hottest we have

had,

and

the water

supply

to the

trenches

had been

difficult to

keep

going.



IN

GALLIPOLI

149

The

men

looked

pretty

collapsed

when

they

came out.

The

L.F.'s

rested

in

the

old

support

trench.

Only

three

officers

remained

:

C

,

a

lieutenant

who

had

been

in

France,

was

in

command;

Bromley

had

been

wounded

with

shrapnel

in

the

heel,

but had

insisted

on

carrying

on

all

night,

and

then

arrived

at the

dressing-

station

;

D

,

the

only

other

original

officer,

had

had rather

a

nasty

wound close

to

the

lung.

I

tried

to

fix

up

a

little

shelter

from

the

glaring

sun

for the

three survivors,

who

were

quite

played

out.

Later

I

went

lower

down the

gully

where

the

R.F.'s

were.

Fortunately

their three

survivors

included

CD.

,

the

CO.,

and

W

,

the

adjutant.

CD.

is

doing

exceedingly

well.

He

was

pretty

upset

by

the battle.

Fitz-CIarence

was one of

his

chief

friends.

Eustace,

Willet,

and

Ayreton's

bodies

had not

been

recovered.

The

difference,

as

far

as

I

am

personally

concerned,

is

that

now

I

hardly

know

the

officers

who

are

killed.

I

did

not

stay

long

as

they

were

all so

tired.

The

heat

had

finished

everybody.

I

was

feeling

very

well

and

fit

myself.

I

carried

a man

a

long way

on

a

stretcher

in

the

morning.

Major

Bromley

had

come

out

as

adjutant

to

the

2nd

Lancashire Fusiliers.

He had been

ship's

adjutant

on

the

A on our

way

out

and

managed

everything

exceedingly

well,

showing

every

one

unfailing

cour-

tesy.

This

was

the

second

time

he

had

been

wounded.

He had

been CO.

as well as

adjutant

for some

two

or

three

weeks

previous

to

the

28th.

He had an

abso-

lutely

cool

head

and

never

seemed

in

the

least

per-

turbed

or

worried,

and saw to

everything

himself.

He

was

very

powerfully

built,

a

splendid

gymnast

and

swimmer.

His

wound was not

serious,

and

he re-

covered

from it

in

Egypt

and

set

sail on

the

Royal

Edward,

where

he was

put

in command

of

all

troops

on

board some

time

in

August.

The

Royal

Edward



150

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

was

torpedoed

on

its

way

to

Mudros,

and sank.

Brom-

ley,

so

I

have

since

been

told,

started

to

swim,

but

a

boat

collided

with

him

and

stunned

him,

and

he

was

drowned.

In

my

opinion

he

was

one

of the

finest

soldiers

in

the

Division.

Wednesday,

June

30.

—

The

L.F.'s

and R.F.'s

went

down

to the

beach

and

stayed

there

till

Saturday

night,

when

they

relieved

the

88th

Brigade.

They

had a

thorough

good

rest.

Another

batch

of

oflicers

arrived,

and

the

R.F.'s

now

have

ten

or so

and

the

L.F.'s

about

six.

On

Thursday,

after

lunching

with the

R.F.'s,

I

went

up

to

J

12 to

try

and

see

if

I

could

discover the

bodies

of

any

of

the

missing

officers.

I

took

a

guide

with

me,

who

said

he knew

where

they

had fallen.

I

went

up

by

Gurkha

Bluff

and

through

J

1 1

a

—

a

long

communication

trench

running

along

the

top

of

the

cliff,

parallel

with the sea

for

quite

1000

yards,

to

J

13

and

beyond,

which

was our

main

gain.

TheTurks

had

retaken

J

13

and

part

of

J

12,

which

were

difficult

for

us to

hold,

but

we

have

held

J

1 1

a and

dug

a

diagonal

trench

from

the

junction

of

J

1

1

a

and

J

13

back

to

J

11,

which

is

now

the

firing

line.

Between

J

11

and

J

12

the

ground

was

littered

with

dead.

A

number

of

Turks

had

got

cut

off

and were

lying

mixed

up

with

our own

dead.

I

went

down

J

12 and

looked

through

a

periscope.

A

lot of

firing

was

going

on

and

bomb-

throwing,

so

it

was

impossible

to

do

much,

but

I

was

shown

where

Eustace

and

Ayreton

probably

were.

The

day

before

I had

gone

up

the

gully

to

look

for

the

bodies

of

L.F.'s

killed

on

June

4.

I

took

three

of

the

R.A.M.C.

with me.

They

had

fallen

just

in

front

of

J

9.

I did want to

find Shaw's

body.

But

we

found

the

ground

was

mostly

exposed

to fire

from

across

the

gully

except

one

small

part.

There

were

bodies

in

all



IN GALLIPOLI

151

states

of

decay,

and

I

saw

the worst

sights

I have

yet

seen.

However,

I

can

stand

most

things

now. But I

could

not touch

them.

The

men did

not

mind

and we

collected

a

few

discs.

J

lo

had

a

number

of

men

killed

on

the 28th and

they

were

the

worst,

South Wales

Borderers

mostly.

It

was

altogether

rather

horrible.

I

cannot understand

why

they

don't

sometimes

try

and

arrange

an armistice and

bury

the

dead. But

I have

heard of no

attempt

having

been made.

I

went

down

to the

beach

again

on

Friday

and

Saturday

and

saw

the

regiments.

On

Saturday

I

had

services

with

them,

as

they

were to

go

up

again

that

night.

I

also

buried

a

driver

of

the

460th

Howitzer

Battery,

and

had

a

very

impressive

little

funeral

with

the

battery

all

lined

up.

The

Major

is a

most

punctilious

officer

and

a

splendid

man.

I

had a

good

many

funerals

all

through

the

week.

The

greatest care

is

taken

of

the

graves,

and

nice

little crosses with

names

printed

on

are

put up

everywhere.

There

was

a

good

deal

of

shelling

both

evenings,

and I

had two

rather

exciting

gallops

up

the

gully.

I

think

it

was

Friday

evening

when

word

came

that

the

Turks

were

massing

and

bombarding

the

trenches

on

the

left,

and the

regiments

on

the

beach

were to

be

ready

to

fall

in

any

moment.

They

were

shelling

the

gully,

and

the

batteries

on

either

side.

1

sat

in

a

dug-out

for some

time,

but

eventually

decided

I

must

go

on,

and

galloped

for

all

I

was

worth.

Sunday,

July

4,

—

A

quiet

day. My

brigade

was

all

up

in

the

trenches,

so

there

was

nothing

much for

me

to

do.

I

celebrated

at

the

88th

next

door,

and

then

went

a

round of

batteries

:

460th

Howitzers,

New

Zealand,

and

97th

R.F.A.

While

I

was

at the

New

Zealand

a

huge

French

transport

ship

was sunk

just

off

"W"

beach

by

a

submarine and

disappeared

in

about three

minutes.

Fortunately

she was

empty.

A

French

am-



152


DIVISION

munition

dump

was

also

blown

up

during

the

after-

noon.

Rather an

unlucky

day

for them.

Then

I went

up

the

gully

to

the

firing

line

and had a little

service

with

the

Dublin

and

South

Wales Borderers' stretcher-

bearers

;

then back

here for one

in

Aberdeen

Gully

for

the ambulances.

It is

a

great

opportunity

for

teaching

just

now

;

men are

thinking

and

experiencing

many

things

and

their

thoughts

need

guiding.

Monday, July

5.

—

About

3.45

we

were

awakened

by

a

most

terrific

bombardment,

which

did

not

really

stop

till

10.30.

In

this

little

gully

it

is

impossible

to

know

what

is

happening.

It

seemed

as

though

we

were

sending

the most

shells over at first. And then

the

Turks

sent

more

and

more.

They

simply

flew

over

in

hundreds.

I

think we are

almost

absolutely

secure

in

here. But

shells

came as

close

as

possible.

Two

Jack

Johnsons

fell

in

the

88th

gully

next

door,

and

one

blew

their

kitchen

to

pieces.

But

they

could

not

get

us.

We

expected

a

tremendous

influx

of

wounded but

hardly any

one

came,

perhaps

twenty-four

altogether,

mostly

slight

—

Dublins. It

seemed

as

though

the

bombardment

would

never

end. It rather

amused

me,

as

there

was

so much

noise

and

so

little

damage.

I

wandered

down

the

gully

later on

to

find

out

how much

damage

had been

done,

but could hear of

very

little.

I

buried

one

engineer,

and

one

or two

stray

men

were

killed

and wounded.

"W"

beach

had a

simply

terri-

fic

shelling,

I

believe,

and an

aeroplane

dropped

bombs,

but

I

have

not

heard of much

damage

done,

though

people

were

very

alarmed there.

They

are

shelling

it

continually

now

and

it

must

be

most

un-

pleasant.

It

appears

that the Turks had

planned

a

big

attack,

but our

guns

had

got

onto

them. A

good

deal

of

slaughter

was

done

and

the

attack

broke,

and

they

did us

practically

no

damage,

which

is

a

comfort.



IN

GALLIPOLI

153

Their

shell

fire

is not

particularly

accurate,

and

they

simply

seemed

to

drop

shells

indiscriminately

over the

peninsula.

Tuesday,

July

6.

—

The

South

Wales

Borderers

had

a

nasty

little

scrap

early

this

morning

over

the

"Turkey-trot

trench,"

i.e.

a

trench

we share

with the

Turks with

a barricade

between

us.

They

tried

to

take

a

part

held

by

the

Turks,

and

managed

to

get

three officers

killed

and about ten

men

;

and some

twenty-four

wounded came

in

here.

I went

up

and

buried some of

them.

The

way

officers

get

killed

off

is

really

dreadful,

and

so

unnecessary.

I

took

a

funeral

service

with an

R.C.

priest.

We each said

prayers.

In

the afternoon

I

went

off

with

T

(one

of

the

doctors)

for

a

long

expedition

in

the

trenches.

I

wanted

to

go

up

and

see the

brigade.

There

is

a

perfect

maze

of

trenches.

The

brigade

is

now

in

the

right

centre.

We

got

to them

through

a

long

winding

communication trench

used

for

mules.

T

went

back,

but

I

went

all

the

length

of

the

firing

line and

had

tea with

the

R.F.'s.

It

was a

great

joy

to

find

E.F.

back

again

as

adjutant.

I

got

some

news

from him

of

wounded officers.

He

will

be

a

great

help

to the

regiment.

CD.

makes a

splendid

CO.

It

was

quite

late

before

I

got

back.

The

men

had

been

having

a

quiet

time in

the trenches

and

were

very

cheery.

Wednesday,

July

7.—

I

stayed

in

and

wrote

most

of

the

morning,

made

another

long

trip

through

the

trenches

in

the

afternoon,

and

found

everything

again

very

quiet.

A

new

division

of

Kitchener's

Army

has

actually

arrived

and we

are

really

to

go

off for

a

little

rest.

The

87th

Brigade

goes

to-night

to

Imbros and

I

expect

we

go

next. I

have

not

seen

much

of

the new

divisions. I

have

lost

a

good

deal

of

energy

and



154

WITH

THE


confine

it

mainly

to

my

own

particular

job,

and

cease

to

take

much

interest

in

what

goes

on outside. It is

very

hot

and

the

nights

are

getting

warm. I

amuse

myself

by

cooking

and

trying

to

vary

our

feeding

arrangements,

and

we

now

have

infinitely

superior

meals.

The

soup

squares

I

got

from

home

are

speci-

ally

good.

We

have

porridge

every

morning

for

breakfast—

a

great

improvement,

and

we

have

actually

taught

the

cook

to make

toast.

I

even

made

some

fish

cakes

one

day.

We

have

had masses of chocolate

sent

out

—

mostly

all

melted,

though

I

have

been

very

lucky

personally.

Parcels were

delayed

for

about

a

month

and we

had

nothing.

Now we

have

profusion.

But

biscuits,

cake,

and

tinned

fruit are what

we

like

best.

However,

we cannot

complain

about food

now,

though

it

was

getting

impossible

to

eat

any

more

bully

this

hot

weather.

Thursday,

July

8.

—

I

rode

in

to

"W"

beach

in

the

afternoon.

I

had

not

been

there

for

a

long

time.

I

wanted to

see

U

among

other

things,

but

found

him

out.

Of

course

he

had chosen

just

that

day

to

come out

and

see

me. He

hates

"

W

"

beach.

They

are

always

being

shelled

there. Our

ambulance

has

been

wonderfully

lucky.

They

have

not

had

a

man

or

horse killed

yet.

I

wanted

to

get

some

money,

but

found

the field cashier

was sick and had

gone

off,

and

no

one was

appointed

in

his

place;

so

I

did

not

succeed

in

doing

much. When I

came back I

attempted

some

baking

in a

cunningly

constructed

stove,

made

out

of

a

zinc

ammunition

box set

into the

side

of the

cliff

with

a

little

tin

chimney

fixed

into

it.

Thompson

and

Stevens

were

very

amused,

because when I

started to

cook

the

supper

the

zinc

all

melted

away

and

the

whole

thing collapsed. However,

they

all

acknowledged

it

was

a

good

idea.

I

started

to read

"

Paradise

Lost

"



IN

GALLIPOLI

155

which

I am

enjoying,

and

was

deHghted

to find the

lines

—

"

From

morn till

noon he

fell,

from

noon

till

dewy

eve,

On

Lemnos,

the

yEgean

Isle."

Friday,

July

g.

—

I

kept

quiet

all

day.

The mail

had

arrived

the

evening

before and

there

were

many

letters

to

be written.

One must

take

it

quietly

now and

then

in

this

weather.

I

had

some

very

delightful

letters

which cheered me

immensely.

It is

extraordinary

how

much

the

mail

means

to

people

here

and

how

many

letters

they

write.

I

think

getting

and

writing

letters

are the

greatest

relief

from

war.

One's

mind is carried

away

to

other

things.

People

always

write

apologiz-

ing

for

their

petty

doings.

But

these

are

just

what

we

like.

I

think we

all

feel

we

would

like to

get away

and

lead

petty

uneventful

lives

for

the

rest

of

our

existence.

I

wanted to

go

round the trenches

in

the

evening

and

started

off,

but

was

blocked

by

Kitchener's

Army,

which

was

swarming

up

the

gully,

four

deep,

a

very

cheering

sight.

They

seem

splendid

men,

ever

so

superior

to

the

Territorials

we

have

been

getting,

much steadier

and maturer

to

look

at,

and

exceedingly

keen.

They

all

want

to take the

hill

right

away.

They

have

been

put

into the

support

trenches,

and

sent

up

into the

firing

line

by

platoons

along

with

the

29th

Division,

so

as

to

get

gradually

accustomed.

I

decided it was

better not to

attempt

going

up

that

day,

so returned.

Saturday,

July

10.

—

I

went

up

to

the trenches

pretty

soon

after

breakfast

and

walked through

them

for

miles.

First,

W

took

me

all

through

the

R.F.

lines,

and

carried

out a

most

thorough

inspection

of

the trenches

and saw that

everything

was

thoroughly

cleaned

up.

It

is

really

wonderful

that

the

men

keep

as

well

as

they

do.

The

flies

simply

swarm

everywhere

and

the

place



156

WITH THE


is strewn with

dead bodies.

The

head

of a

Turk

was

hanging

out

of the

parapet

in

a

sap

they

were

dig-

ging

;

a heel

in another

place.

It is wonderful

how

one

gets

used

to

all

these

sights.

The

heat

would

be

really

oppressive

if it

was

not

that,

being

on

a

penin-

sula,

there

is

usually

a

breeze

blowing

from

the sea

somewhere.

I

went

all

through

the 86th

Brigade

lines

into

the

Lanes.

Territorial

lines,

and

all

round

through

support

trenches,

and

had no lunch and

got very

hot

getting

back

here

to

tea.

I

had had

another stove

fixed

up,

made

this

time

of

an

empty

biscuit

tin,

and

baked

some

scones.

I

had

no

baking-powder,

but

they

gave

me

some

bicarbonate

of soda

tabloids,

and

with some bacon

fat

and

Ideal

milk

and

sugar

and

flour

I

mixed

up

my

dough

and

baked

some

beautiful

scones

—

more like

dough-nuts

—

their

only

fault

being

they

were

burnt

underneath,

which

was

almost inevitable.

It

amused

the ambulance

men

a

good

deal.

Sunday,

July

ii.

—

I

had

nothing

planned,

as

my

brigade

was all

up

in

the

firing

line.

A

had asked

me

to

take a

service

for

him on "W"

beach.

I

got

a

note at

7.30

a.m. from

I

to

say

he

had

gone

off

with

his

brigade

to

Lemnos,

and

M

,

the

newly

ar-

rived

chaplain,

who

was

to

relieve

him,

had

developed

dysentery

:

would

I

take

a

7

a.m.

Celebration

? I

called

in

on

M

on

Gully

Beach

on

my

way

to

"W"

beach and found

him

very

low indeed

—

almost

speech-

less. No

service

had

been held.

However,

I

could

do

nothing

and walked

on

to

"

W

"

beach. I

had

some

difficulty

in

finding

the

exact

spot

where

the

service

was

to

be.

There

were about twenty

men

there,

under

a

ledge

of rock

by

the

lighthouse.

Just

as

we

started

they

began

to fire Black

Marias

very

close

to

us.

Pieces

from

the

first

one

dropped

exceedingly

close

to

me.

I

managed

to

keep

quite

calm,

but

one of



IN

GALLIPOLI

157

the

men,

the

moment

a shell

burst,

dropped

flat

on

the

ground.

I

think

an

aeroplane

that

had

just

de-

scended

was

attracting-

the

fire.

I

went afterwards

to

the

ordnance

and

succeeded

in

buying

a

suit

of

khaki

drill

for 85. 6d.

after

filling

in

a

number

of forms.

Then

I

lunched

at the

89th

and was

given

a

loan of a horse

back to

Gully

Beach.

My

horse is

temporarily

lame

and

being

treated on

the beach. He

was

nearly

slain

by

a

Black

Maria

the

night

before,

which

burst

very

close

to

him,

but

he

fortunately

escaped

with a

graze.

I

rode

to

Gully

Beach to

see if

I

could

do

anything

there.

I

held

a little

service

for the

Border

Regiment,

and

tried

to

arrange

one for

the

Engineers,

which

did not

come

off.

Then I

walked back

up

the

gully,

and

got

in

for

late tea.

I

wandered

up

to the

top

afterwards

to

see

if

anything

could

be

done,

but found

everything

very

quiet.

Rumours

of

a

battle

next

day

had

been

prevalent

some time.

I

came back

to

Aberdeen

Gully

and had

a

service at

7

p.m.

Monday,

July

12.

—

They

seem

to have

changed

their

day

for

battle

from

Sunday

to

Monday.

We

were

warned

the

night

before

to

be

ready.

The

whole

pre-

ceding

week had

been

very

quiet,

practically nothing

happening

all

along

the

line.

We

seem

to have

to

wait till

we

can

collect

a

supply

of

shells.

Well,

the

main

battle

was

to

be on the

right.

Our end was

only

subsidiary.

The

bombardment

started

at

4.20.

The

wounded

began

to

come

in

soon

after

five.

P

and

D

had

come

out at

midnight

to

help.

It was

only

a

small

action

at

our

end

—

a

complete

failure.

The

Dublins were

to

try

to

take a

Turkish

sap.

The

ar-

tillery

bombardment

failed

and

the

machine

guns

got

onto

them,

and

the

majority

that

went

out

were

knocked

out. We

had

about

fifty

wounded.

P

worked

on the bad

cases

and

gave

the

deep

wounds



158 WITH THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

(there

were

some

horrible

ones)

a

proper

cleaning.

There were

two

Dublin

officers in but

not

seriously

wounded,

and

an

artillery

officer from

368th

Battery,

also

slight.

One

of

the

new

Kitchener

officers

was

brought

in

dying,

hit

through

the head.

We were

kept

pretty busy

during

the

early

morning,

but man-

aged

to

get

them

all cleared

by

about 10

a.m.

I

had

a

busy

morning.

First,

I

went

right

up

to the

firing

line

to

see

about

burying

two

Hants

men,

but

their

graves

were not

dug,

and

I

discovered

a

Kitchener

Army

chaplain

up

there

who

said

he

would

bury

them

for

me.

Then

I

heard

that

a Dublin

stretcher-bearer

had

been killed and

arranged

to

bury

him.

The

R.F.'s

had also

had

one

killed,

so

I

went

up

through

the

trenches to

P

's

dressing-station

and

found his

body

had

been

carried

down

to

ours.

I

was

afraid

the

R.F.'s

had

been

in

the

battle

too,

and was

relieved to

find

they

had

not.

The

battle

was on the

extreme

right,

and the

French

were said to

be

making

good

progress.

I

tried

to

make

it out

through

the

glasses,

but

it is

difficult to

see

anything.

So

I

returned and

buried

the

Dublin

stretcher-bearer

(they

are

all

Church

of

England,

being

bandsmen),

and

then came

back

here

and

buried

the

R.F.

stretcher-bearer

and

an

artilleryman

who

had died

in

the

dressing-station.

C

came

in

to

lunch.

It

was

very

hot

and

he

does

not like it.

It is

wonderful

how^

I

manage

to

survive. I

am

even

recovering

a

good

deal

of

energy.

An

artillery

officer of

the

460th

Battery

arrived

to

say

their

sergeant-major

had

been killed

:

would I

come

and

bury

him

?

The

460th

is

a

special

favourite

of

mine,

and

the

sergeant-major

always

used

to

give

the

hymn

papers

round.

U

wanted

a

meeting

of

chaplains

on

"

\V

"

beach.

The

artillery

officer

lent

me

his

groom's

horse and

we

rode

off

down

the

gully



IN GALLIPOLI

159

to the

beach,

where

I

buried

an

AustraHan

artillery

captain

and

arranged

for

the

other

funeral,

and

then

rode on the

borrowed horse

to

Gully

Beach,

where

1

eventually

found

U

and

A

,

and

we

talked

about

many

things.

U

thinks

services

are

quite

incongruous

with

fighting.

He

says

the

whole

busi-

ness

is

so

absolutely

bloody,

and we

try

and

collect

men

and

sing

hymns.

We

are all

a

little tired

of

hymns.

A

disagreed,

thinking

the

services

were

a

great

relief

and

meant

a

lot to the

men.

Personally

I

think

they

fit

in

best when

the

regiments

are

resting

and

away

from

fighting,

as far

as it

is

possible

here.

I

believe

that

men

are all

thinking

about

things,

and

the

main

thing

to

do

is to

try

and

help

them

get

their

thoughts

clear.

However,

I

think we all felt

services

were

merely

incidents.

I

agree

with

U

.

The

whole

thing

is

indescribably

bloody.

We

have

been

here

ten

weeks and

not even seen

a

civilian,

or been

away

from

shells

and

the noise

of

rifle

fire.

Wounded

and dead

everywhere.

It almost seems

as

if

it

were

normal life

now.

A.B.

and

another

chaplain

appeared

later

and

we had tea

together,

with

excellent

cake,

and had

a

nice

talk. A.B.

is

one

of

the

cheeriest

people

I

know.

He

runs

about

everywhere

and

holds

endless

services,

and

is

always

,being

nearly

blown

up

or

having

men

disembowelled

while

taking

a

service.

But

nothing

worries

him

at

all.

At

four

o'clock

another

battle

started,

in

the

centre

this

time.

A

battleship

arrived

and

started

to

bombard,

and

there

was a

terrific

bombardment.

But

I

have

lost

interest

in

battles.

I

rode

back

to

Gully

Beach,

and

was

very

alarmed

by

a

six-inch

gun

of

ours which

blazed off a

big

shell

just

over

my

head

as I

was

passing

in

front

of

it.

I

met

the

Major

and men

of

the

460th

Battery

and

we



160

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

had

a

very

impressive

funeral.

1

he

body

was carried

up

the

hill

by

the

sergeants.

I

halted it

as

they

were

passing

through

the

lines

of

the

battery

and

took the

first

part

of

the service

there.

Then

we

went

up

to

the

grave

and finished

the

service.

They

started

dropping

shells

close

by.

These batteries

are

very

happy

families

as

a

rule.

They

live

close

together

and see little of

any

one

else,

don't

move

about,

and have

comparatively

few

casualties.

So

they

feel

them

all

the more

when

they

do come.

I

walked

back

up

the

gully

and made

some

beautiful

biscuits of

dripping,

flour,

and

sugar,

which

were

really

a

great

success.

There seemed

to

be

a

big

battle

on

the

right

and in

the

centre

going

on

intermittently

all

the

time,

but

we

have had

no

definite news

yet.

The

poor

Lowland Division were

in

for

it

again,

but

more

successful

this time I

gather.

Personally

I

have

felt

it

such

a

relief

to

have a battle

without the

29th

Division

being

responsible

for it.

I

cease

to

take

much

interest in

the

military

operations.

They

are

beyond

me. And

it

is

useless

worrying

about

what

is

going

to

happen.

One

can

only

live

from

day

to

day,

and make the best

of

things

as

they

come

along.

Tuesday,

July

13.

—

I

am

afraid

I

spent

a

large part

of the

morning

in

cooking.

I

made

pastry

for

the

first

time

in

my

life.

It

really

was

excellent.

I

made

a

large

jam

tart,

using

just

flour,

dripping,

and

sugar

and

spreading

apricot

jam

on it.

It

took about

two

hours

to

do,

as

I

had

to

keep

a

very

slow fire

to

prevent

it

burning

—

but

I

must

say

it

was

a

w'onderful

success.

We

were

expecting

company,

which,

however,

did

not

come.

In

the

afternoon

I

went

off

with A and

visited

one or two of the

batteries,

seeing young

L

at

No. 10.

They

had

constructed

a

most

beautiful

dug-out

and made themselves

exceedingly

comfortable



IN

GALLIPOLI

161

all

roofed with

tin,

the sides cut

into the solid

rock,

and were even covered

with

mosquito netting,

so

quite

free

from

flies.

We

sat

and

ate

Fuller's

sweets.

At

No.

97

there

is

a

little

spring

where

we

got

some

beautiful

maidenhair

plants,

which we took

back

and

decorated the mess with.

I buried

four

men

of

the

mountain

battery

that

night.

They

had

all

been

killed

at

their

gun.

It

was

strange

knowing

that

pretty

ter-

rific

fighting

was

going

on

somewhere

all

the

time,

and

being

so out

of

it

and

knowing

nothing

of what was

going

on.

Our

wing,

for

a

change,

was

quiet.

Wednesday,

July

14.

—

I

started off

on

a

visit

to the

trenches

in

the

afternoon,

but

only

to

hear

on

the

way

that

the

brigade

was

at last

coming

out of

the

trenches

after

eleven solid

days.

I

went

to

brigade

head-

quarters

to see

if

I

could

find

out

what

they

were

going

to

do

and

when

they

were

going away.

But

they

had heard

nothing.

So

I

came back

again,

find-

ing

the

R.F.'s

headquarters

staff

getting

things

ready

for the

night

in

a

bivouac

at

the

head of

the

gully.

I

arranged

to

return to

supper.

They

were

jolly glad

to

get

out,

but

had had

very

few

casualties

fortunately,

and

no

attacks

to

make.

M



CHAPTER XII

MUDROS

AGAIN

(July

15

—

August

g)

»

Thursday,

July

15.

—

I

first

met W

at

9

a.m.

at

the

R.F.'s,

and

we

went off

to hunt

for

Shafto's

grave.

They

had

just

had

orders

to move

down

to

the

beach. So

when the

regiment

had

started,

we

set

off

through

the usual

labyrinth

of

trenches,

into

the

mule-track,

and

then

along

it till

we saw a

ruined

house

with

a

large

fig-tree

beside

it,

underneath

which

his

grave

was. It had

a

nice

cross,

and

was

elabor-

ately

decorated

with

shell

cases.

I

said

a

few

prayers.

We hunted

for

Anstice's

grave

as

well,

but

could not

find it.

Then

we

rejoined

the

regiment

on

the beach.

I

had

a

little

lunch

with

G.

H

,

and

amused

myself

watching

the

men

lining

up

and

being

dealt

out

a

complete

new

set

of

clothing.

Orders

arrived

that

the

regiment

was

to be

prepared

to move

any

moment.

So

I

returned

to

Aberdeen

Gully,

and

got

my

servant

to

pack

up

all

my

things.

A

cart

had

fortunately

just

come

out,

which

took them down.

I

rode

back,

going

round

for the

first time

along

the road

which

has

been

constructed

the

whole

way

from

Gully

Beach

to

"W

"

beach at

the

foot

of

the

cliff,

and

so under cover.

At

"W"

beach

I

repacked

everything,

and after

supper

went

down

to

"V"

beach,

where

the

brigade

was

assembling ready

to

go

off.

It

was

quite

dark.

All

"V

"

beach is

open

in

the

middle,

and the

troops

were

just

lying

down

waiting

till

mine-sweepers

162



s

z

o

C/5

D

<

o

5

fa

O

o



WITH THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

163

should

come

and

take

them

off.

We

were

told

the

first would

be

there

at

ii

p.m.

However,

nothing

happened,

and we were

soon

off

to

sleep.

Suddenly,

at

midnight,

Asiatic

Annie

started,

and

dropped

a

Black

Maria

very

close

to

us.

Everybody

jumped

up.

I

know

I

rushed

for

a

dug-out

I

had

previously

spotted.

A

number

of

men

literally

dived

in

on

top

of

me.

I

think

we were

all

so

confused

with

sleep

we did

not know

what

was

happening.

Then ail the

men

were drawn

up

under

the

shelter

of

a

stack

of

supply

boxes,

and we

all remained

pretty

calm

while,

fortunately,

the

remaining

shells

travelled

farther and

farther

over

our

heads.

BiTt

it was

singularly

alarm-

ing

at

the

moment.

This sort of

thing

happens

every night

on

the beaches.

Then

we

had

another

long

wait.

Eventually

a

trawler

appeared

at about

2.30.

Kitchener's

Army

was

being

landed

as

we

were

being

taken

off.

About

250

of

us crowded

on

board,

and

we

were

taken

off

to

a

mine-sweeper,

which the

skipper

had

great

difficulty

in

finding

in

the

dark.

At

last

we

found

her.

She

had

to

put

troops

off

onto

our

boat

while

we

got

on

her.

Eventually

we

got

on

board.

Most

of

us

discovered

some

spot

where

we

managed

to

get

a little

sleep,

I

found

a

large

armchair

in

a little

saloon.

We

awoke

to

find

ourselves

still

anchored

off

"W"

beach,

with a lot

of

goods

on

board

which

had

to

be

shipped

off

onto

a

lighter.

This

took

a

long

time.

While

it

was

going

on,

shells

suddenly

started

again.

This

time

they

were

aimed

at

a

supply

boat

close

to

us.

She

got

up

steam

and

made

off

as

quickly

as

possible,

and we

did

the

same,

taking

the

lighter

with

us,

and

loading

her

all

the

time.

Then

when

that

was

done we

had

to

go

alongside

the

hospital

ship

and

take

some

cases on

board,

and

at

last

we

started off

for

Lemnos,

getting



164

WITH THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

there

about

4

o'clock.

It

was

very

pleasant

and

peace-

ful

on board.

At

Lemnos

there

was

another

long

wait

till

boats

came

and took

us

off.

We

landed

at

dusk,

and marched

off

to

our

camping-ground,

which

we

found

in

the middle

of

a

field

where

vegetable

mar-

rows,

maize,

and

other

vegetables

were

growing.

Some

of

the

regiment

had arrived

before

us. G

had

returned,

and

taken

over command.

I

had decided

to

join

a

company

mess,

and

found

G.

H

,

with

a

couple

of attached Australian

officers,

under

a

fig-

tree.

They

said

I

was

to

be

mess

president.

These

Kitchener officers

are

so

different

to the

regulars.

G.

H

coached

the

Cambridge

Eight

last

year

to

victory.

He

is

a

splendid

fellow. There was

another

fellow there

who

seemed

to consider

himself

a bit of

a

poet,

and

appeared

to know

a

good

deal

about

literature. Another

captain

is

a

dentist.

But

the

variety

makes conversation

far

more

interesting.

The

Australians seemed

nice. One

was

Australian

born,

the other

had

only

recently gone

out. We

were

soon

asleep

under

the

fig-tree,

and

spent

a

very

peace-

ful

night,

away

at last

from

the

sound of

firing

and

shells.

Saturday,

July

17.

—

The

officers

of

Y

Company

made

me their

mess

president.

We

were

only

five

in

all,

but

decided

to celebrate

our

holiday

by

as

good

a

mess

as

possible.

So,

escorted

by

two

orderlies,

I

spent

the

morning

in

the

village

buying

pots

and

pans

of

every

description,

and

quantities

of fresh

vegetables,

marrows,

French

beans,

egg

fruit,

tomatoes,

melons,

little

pears, nuts,

as

well

as

tinned

butter,

fruit, rice,

lemons,

eggs,

and

other

delicacies.

It

is

quite easy

to

make a

table.

You

simply

dig

a

square

trench.

The

centre

of

the

square

is the

table,

and

you

sit

round

it,

with

your

feet in

the

trench.



IN

GALLIPOLI

165

We

got

a

pretty good

cook,

and

I

showed

him

how

to

make

omelettes,

macaroni

cheese,

milk

puddings,

and other

things.

We

even

managed

to

get

fresh

milk

and

native

wine,

and

bought

large

earthenware

jars,

one

of

which

was

kept

full

of

lemonade.

Fresh

meat

was

provided

as

a

ration,

so

we did

very

well,

and

had a

very

happy

party.

In

the

afternoon

I

arranged

my

services,

walked

to

the

top

of

a

neigh-

bouring

hill

with

G.

H

to

get

the

view,

and came

back

to

hold

an

extempore

sing-song

for the

brigade

in a

large

tent

that

happened

to

be

empty.

It

was

not

a

great

success.

I could

not

get

the

men

to

sing.

I've

heard

the

other

brigades

held

much

better

ones.

But

it was

got

up

in

too

great

a

hurry.

Sunday,

July

i8.

—

I

held

my

parades

in

front

of

the

same tent

at

7

and

9.30.

I

had

Ante-Communion

in

each

case,

followed

by

Celebrations,

but

very

few

stayed,

only

six

at

the

first,

and

twelve

at

the

latter.

I

was

rather

surprised.

In

the

afternoon

I

walked

over

to

a

neighbouring

village,

and we

got

some

wine.

It

was full

of

soldiers,

mostly

Dublins,

having

a

good

drink.

The

authorities

seemed

to

have

made

no

restrictions,

though

they did

afterwards.

I

also

had

to

go

to

Mudros

to

get

more

provisions.

I

am

afraid

we

do

not observe

Sunday

much.

I

had a

little

voluntary

evening

service

later

on.

Monday,

July

19.

—

A

new

Captain

for

Y Com-

pany

(I

cannot

remember

his

name)

had

arrived

with

a draft. He

had a

friend

in

the

ordnance,

and

had

been

off

to

see

him,

and

got

an

order

on

one

of

the

ships

for

a

mess tent.

So

off

I went

with

him

in

the

afternoon

to

get

it. We

chartered

a native

sailing-boat,

and

eventually

got

to

our

ship,

and

went aboard.

I

found

a

lot

of

ambulance

men

who

had come

with

a

new division.

I

had

tea

with

the

doctors,

who

intro-



166

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

duced

me

to

the

purser,

from

whom

I

got

a

sack of

oatmeal

—

all

he

could

spare

me,

but a

great

luxury.

The

Captain

changed

his

order

for

one

tent to two

tents,

with

permission

of

the

ordnance

officers,

and

we

returned

with

a

boat

loaded

with two

large

E.P.

tents

(i.e.

double

tents,

as

used

in

India).

We

managed

to

get

hold of

a

motor-lorry

after

a

good

deal

of

trouble,

and

got

the

tents

up

to

the

camp,

where

one

was

presented

to

headquarters.

They

are

wonderfully

cool

tents,

but

very bulky

and

cumber-

some.

When

we

had

ours

put

up

it

was

without

its

curtains,

so the

Captain

had

to return

next

day

for

them.

We

felt

well

satisfied,

and set

up

for

a

nice

comfortable

rest.

However,

it

was

not to last

long.

Tuesday,

July

20.

—

I

awoke

with

a

temperature

and

throat.

I

did

not

seem

to

improve,

and

at

midday

found

my

temperature

nearly

102,

so

sent for

the

doctor,

who

said

I

had

an

influenza

cold,

and

must

go

to

hospital.

A

large

new

draft

of 200

men,

and

more

officers,

arrived

that

morning.

But the

poor

brigade

were

suddenly

ordered to

return

the

next

day.

So

all

our

preparations

had

been in vain.

It

turned

out a

false

alarm.

They

were

fearing

a

big

Turkish

attack

which

never

came

off,

and

they

had

nothing

to

do.

Meanwhile,

I

wandered

off with

my

servant

and

kit

in

search

of

a

hospital,

of

which

there

seem

to

be

many.

The

first

I

came

to

said

they

were

very

sorry,

but

they

were

not for

my

division

;

I

must

go

to

the

i6th

Stationary

Hospital.

So we

started

off

again.

It

was

very

hot.

At

last I

found the

orderly-

room,

where

an

orderly

said

they

were

full

up.

I

got

a

little

exasperated

then,

and

said,

"Am

I

to

wander

round

the

island,

with

a

temperature

of

102,

looking

for a

hospital

?

"

However,

a

doctor soon

arrived,

and

said it was

quite

all

right;

of

course

I

could

come

in.



IN

GALLIPOLI

167

They

were

very

full.

Would

I

mind

a

bell

tent?

I

said,

"Of

course

not."

So

I

was

put

on

a

stretcher

in

a

bell

tent,

and

slept

the

whole

time.

They

did

not

pay

much

attention

to

me.

The

doctor

neither

took

my

temperature

nor looked

at

my

throat,

but sounded

me

very carefully, though

I

assured

him heart

and

lungs

were

quite

all

right.

Next

day

he transferred

me

to

a

proper marquee,

a

double

tent,

where

I

was

put

in

a

bed with

sheets

made of the

same

canvas

as

the

tent,

but with

a

large

mosquito

net

over it

to

keep

off

the

flies.

W

was in the corner

of

it,

recover-

ing

from

dysentery.

Wednesday,

July

21.

—

I

spent

a

peaceful day,

but

my

throat

got

worse.

Still

the

doctor

did

not look

at

it.

Next

day

{July

22)

I

again

complained

of

my

throat.

In

fact,

I

could

hardly

speak,

so

he

examined

it,

and

looked very

grave.

He

said

I

might

be

infectious,

and asked

me

to

get

inside

the

mosquito netting.

Eventually

he

returned

with

another

doctor,

who

also

examined

my

throat.

I

asked

if

he would

disclose

the

nature of

my

disease.

At first

he

refused,

but

returned

later to

say

I

should

have to

be

moved

to

a bell tent

by

myself,

and that

he

was

afraid

I

had

diphtheria.

I was not

in

the

least

alarmed,

as

I did not

feel

particularly

ill,

only

I had

a

very

uncomfortable

throat,

and

I

was

carried

off

to

a bell

tent.

Here

I

found

a

stretcher

put

ready

for

me

on

a

couple

of

boxes.

At this

I

did

complain.

I

said

I was

supposed

to

have a

serious

complaint,

and

was

to

be

kept

in

hospital

some

weeks.

Was

I

to

lie

on

a stretcher

all

the

time,

while

men

with

mild attacks

of

dysentery,

who

were

able

to

be

up

and

about

all

day,

were

given

beds to

sleep

on

? So

a bed

was soon

forthcoming,

and

I

must

say

ever

since

they

have

done

everything

to

make me comfortable.

An

excel-



168

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

lent

orderly,

a

trained male

nurse,

waited on

me

;

and

my

servant,

who

had

been

entered

into

the

hospital

with

something

the

matter

with

his

foot,

came

in

and

lived

in

the tent with

me,

and

has

waited on

me

hand

and

foot

ever

since,

disinfecting

himself

with

carbolic

and

gargle

under

strict

directions

from the

doctor.

That

evening

the

doctor

gave

me

an

injection

of

serum.

It

gave

almost

instantaneous

relief. The

next

day

(Friday,

July

23)

he

gave

me

two

more

injec-

tions. Of

course,

I

ate

practically

nothing

all

the

time,

and

did

nothing

except

talk

to

an

occasional

visitor.

A

was

very

good

about

coming

in.

His

brigade

(the

88th)

stayed

several

days

after mine

left.

By Sunday,

July

25,

I

felt much better. D

,

the

chaplain

on

the

island,

brought

me

Communion

in

the

morning,

and

I

started

to

read,

and

have

read

a

good

deal

ever

since.

They

tried

to

get

me

off

on

a

ship

at

first,

but

they

refused

to

have me.

People

seem

to

be

very

afraid

of

diphtheria.

The

doctor

is

alarmed

of

after

effects,

and

has allowed

me

to

do

nothing.

It

is

now

(Atigust

4)

over a

fortnight

since

I

came

in.

The

weather

has not

been

too

hot

as

a

rule,

though

we

have

had

one or two bad

days.

To-day

has been

one.

My

servant

lifts

the

skirt of the

tent

up

all

round,

and

pins

a

blanket

on

the

outside

between

me and

the

sun.

If

it

is

very

hot I

lie on

a

stretcher

on

the

ground,

and

catch

any

possible

draught.

I

have

canvas

sheets,

but

they

are

better than

none.

I

have also

got

a

deck-chair,

in

which

I

am now

sitting.

The

89th

Field

Ambulance

were

here until

recently,

and

occa-

sionally

some

of

the

doctors

came

to

see

me.

I

got

my

mail

while

they

were

here,

which

was

nice.

A

parcel

mail

brought

me

some welcome

biscuits,

cheese,

toffee,

and

a

nice

supply

of

stationery.

We

actually

have

a

man

who comes round and sells

The

Times,



IN GALLIPOLI

169

only

about

ten

days

old,

at

fourpence

a

copy.

Other-

wise we hear

nothing

of the outer

world.

My

tent

looks

out over the

harbour,

so

I

can amuse

myself

watching

the

troops

coming

and

going.

Nothing

seems

to have

happened

while

I

have

been

here,

but

now

reports

are

coming

in

of a

new

landing having

been

made,

and

there

has been

a

large

exodus of

troops

yesterday

and

to-day.

I

do

hope

they

are

not

attacking

to-day,

as it

is

so

hot,

and our men

cannot

stand

the heat. It

is

the

anniversary

of

the

declara-

tion of

war.

The

hospitals

have been

told to

be as

empty

as

possible

by

to-morrow. This one

is

fuller

than

ever.

It

is

only

supposed

to

take

in

200

cases,

and

has

about

800,

mostly

slight.

It came out with

the

29th

Division,

and has worked without

stopping

since

the

beginning.

The orderlies

are

quite

worn

out,

and

keep

going

sick.

Mine

went

sick

some

days

ago. They

toil

on

with

temperature up

to

103

before

they

drop.

They

are

very

short-handed. All the

other

hospitals

are

moving

to the

other

side of the

harbour.

They

have

till

now all

been

crowded

together

close to

the

village,

on

ground

formerly

occupied

by

the

French

horse

lines,

now

one

mass

of dust

and

sand,

which

the

wind

blows

about

in

clouds.

No wonder

the orderlies

go

sick.

However,

the authorities

have

at last

woken

up

to

the extent

of

realizing

that the other

side of

the

harbour,

away

from

dust,

villages,

and

horse

lines,

is

likely

to

be

more

sanitary.

Meanwhile,

we

stay

here,

and

take

in

everybody's

patients.

My

servant has taken

admirable care

of

me.

I

am

not

allowed

meat

yet,

and

hospital

fare

unsupple-

mented would be

bad.

However,

he

makes

me

beau-

tiful

toast,

poaches

eggs,

and

fries

me

tomatoes.

Otherwise

I

get

porridge,

soup,

potatoes,

and milk



170

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

pudding.

I

am

getting

quite

Iiungry

now.

The

doctor

says

I

may

take

a

little

walk

to-morrow.

I

hope

to

get

away

next

week

on a

ship, perhaps

to

Alexandria.

]

may

not

work

or

exert

myself

this

month.

They

are

so afraid of after effects. I

expostu-

late,

saying

people

must

take

chances

in

war-time.

But

the

doctor

says

I

take

quite

enough

chances

by

having

the disease at

all.

I

really

feel

perfectly

well,

and

almost

strong

again.

I

am

very

fortunate

to have

got

off so

lightly.

The

doctor

takes

the

greatest

care

of

me.

He

is

young,

but

served

in

the

Bulgarian

Red

Cross

in

the Balkan

War.

He

hates the

Bulgars,

and

would not own

them

as Allies.

I

think

he

is

rather

pleased

at

having

got

me well

so soon.

A

new

sergeant-major

for

the

hospital

has

just

arrived.

I

heard him

saying

that

he

was

only

released from

prison

in

Germany

three

weeks

ago,

and

then

sent

straight

here.

What

a

strange

war

Well,

this

is

all

about

myself

—

but

what else

have

I

to

write

about

?

There

is

nothing

much

more

to record

about

my

time

in

No. i6

Stationary

Hospital,

Lemnos.

On

Thursday, August

5,

I

was

allowed

out

in

the

evening

for

the

first

time.

The

next

day

the

pathologist,

who

by

now had

arrived,

declared

that

I

was

free

from

in-

fection.

I

started

to

have

my

meals

with

the

other

invalid officers

in

the mess

tent.

They

were

mostly

mild

dysentery

cases

from

Kitchener's

Army,

two from

Oxford,

and it

was

nice

having

some

talk.

I

wan-

dered

round

the

village

once

or

twice.

Of

course

I

was

pretty shaky,

but,

as

usual,

recovered

very

rapidly.

My

name

was

put

down

for

a

hospital

ship.

The doctor

would not

hear

of

my

returning

to

the

peninsula.

Meanwhile rumours

were

growing

fast.

A

huge

battle

to

last

five

days

was

about to



IN

GALLIPOLI

171

begin.

The

hospital

was

to be

prepared

for

enormous

casualties.

Sunday,

August

8.

—

I

was

able

to

go

to

church

three times.

Then

the

first

casualties

arrived,

mainly

from the old

battle

front.

A

huge

attack

had started

on

Friday, again

on

H

12,

where so

many

lives

had

already

been lost.

The

88th

Brigade,

filled

with

large

drafts,

had

gone

out,

and the

Worcesters

espe-

cially

had

lost

enormously.

I

do not

think

the

86th

lost

as

much.

Nothing

seems to

have been

gained.

G

,

one

of

the

R.F.'s,

arrived with

dysentery,

and

gave

some

account

of what had

happened. Major

F

had been knocked over

by

a shell.

I

have seen

no R.F.'s

since,

so

hope

all

is

well

with them.

Mean-

while,

the

main

fighting

had

been

up

at

Anzac,

and

beyond,

where a

new

landing

had

been

made. Three

new

divisions

had

been

landed

altogether,

and

I

have

since seen

a

lot

of their

wounded.

But

what the net

result

has

been

it is

impossible

to

say.

They

seem

to

have

got

a

good way

inland. Of course

the

casual-

ties

have been

simply

colossal

;

no

one knows

how

many.

Every

available

hospital

ship

was

crammed.

Some

said

the

operations

were

intended

to

be

of

a

decisive

nature,

regardless

of

cost.

But I

do

not

believe decisive

operations

are

possible

in

this war.

At

any

rate,

it seems

impossible

to

know

anything,

or

to

get any

really

trustw^orthy

information.

Monday,

August

g.

—

I

had

given

up

much

hope

of

going

onto a

hospital

ship,

owing

to

all

the

fighting,

when

in

the

afternoon

I

suddenly got

word

to

be

ready

to

go

off

in

a

quarter

of

an

hour.

Of

course

we did not

go

till

some

three

hours

later.

We

got

onto

a

hospital

ship,

the

Sicilia,

one of

the

original

ones. Needless

to

say,

we were

in

clover.

I

felt

such

a fraud.

But

the doctor

insisted

I

must

go.

I



172

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

slept

with

other mild

cases

in

hammocks on

the

deck

;

much

the

coolest

place,

and

quite

comfortable.

The

food

was

extraordinarily good,

quite

plain,

but

very

well

cooked,

and

I

was

ravenous.

Most

of

the

day

I

slept

and

read.

There

w^as

a nice

matron

on

board,

and a number

of

stalwart

nurses,

who

were

pretty

well

overworked.

One

told

me

she

had

114

patients,

each

of

whom

she

had to dress

or

look after.

There

were

a

good

many

bad cases

on

board,

and

the

Chaplain

showed

me

a

list

of

forty

funerals

in

five

days.

I

had

an

exceedingly

pleasant

and

comfortable

voyage,

and felt

ever

so much

better for

it,

reaching

Alexandria

on

Thursday,

12th

August.



POSTSCRIPT

Here

my

connection

with

the

29th

Division

ended,

just

as the

new

landing

at Suvla

Bay

was

made,

and

the

campaign

started

on

its second

and

final

despair-

ing

phase.

I

am

in

no

position

to

say

anything

about

it

at

first

hand.

I

returned

to Mudros

on

September

i,

remaining

there

till

the

end

of the

year, organizing

a

scheme

of recreations

and canteens

for the

troops

in

hospitals,

rest

and

reinforcement

camps.

But

though

I

often

came

across

members of

the

29th

Division,

I had

no further

official

connection

with

it.

The

last

news

I

have

is that of

the

Royal

Fusiliers'

officers,

who

were

present

at

the first

landing,

only

one,

who had

been

wounded,

and

the

quartermaster,

were

left with the

battalion.

One

single

R.F. alone

had

come

through

the

whole

campaign

from

the

land-

ing

to

the

evacuation.

But

long

before the time

I

left

it

the

29th

Division,

though

continuing

the

same

in

name,

was

unrecognizable

as

the

magnificent

unit

I

had come

out

with.

There

was

much

more work

for it to

do,

and it

continued

to bear the

brunt of the

fighting

after

the Suvla

Bay

landing

right

up

to

the

evacuation

of the

peninsula.

There are

many

other

divisions

both

in

France,

in

the

Dardanelles and else-

where,

which

have covered

themselves

with

imperish-

able

glory,

but

it

may

be

doubted

whether

any

have

played

a more

striking,

picturesque,

and

inconceivably

difficult

part

than

the

29th

and

the

Australian and

New

Zealand

contingents.

From

the

beginning

of

opera-

173



174

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

tions

till

the

final

close

they

continued on

the

peninsula,

with

practically

no

rest

and

change.

They

were

con-

tinually

in

the

forefront

of

the battle.

Their

casual-

ties

were

appalling,

and their

ranks

were

thinned

by

sickness

and

frost-bite.

The

regiments

had

continu-

ally

to

be

made

up

with

large

drafts

from

England,

and

their

officers

were

constantly

changing.

But

these

new

and

only

partially

trained

men

seemed

to

catch

some of

the

inspiration

of

those

who

preceded

them.

It

has

been

impossible,

where

numbers

were

so

great,

to

make

special

reference

to

any

of

the

N.C.O.'s

and

men,

and

only

a

few

officers

have

been

referred

to

by

name

with

whom

I

was

especially

brought

into

contact.

But

the acts

of

heroism

and

perseverance

might

be

multiplied

indefinitely,

and

those

mentioned

must

serve

merely

as

samples

of

the

rest.

In

the

eyes

of

the

world

the

whole

expedition

appears

to

have

been

a

complete

failure.

But

those

who

saw

anything

of

the valour

and

endurance

of

the

officers

and

men

who

took

part

in

it

cannot

accept

this

verdict.

They

conquered

where

others

would

have

failed

;

and

whoever

may

be

blamed

by

future

his-

torians for

our

failure

to

get

through

to

Con-

stantinople,

it will

not

be

the

men

who

did

the

fighting.

They

showed

themselves

worthy

of

the

greatest

military

traditions,

and,

in

the

words

of

Brigadier-General

Hare,

"the

men

of

Albuhera

and

Minden,

of

Delhi

and

Lucknow,

will

be

proud

to

hail

them,

as

their

equals

in

valour

and

military

achieve-

ment."



ADDITIONAL

CHAPTER

(The

following

vivid

account

has

been contributed

by

Major

H.

M.

Farmar,

D.S.O.,

of

the

Lancashire

FusiHers, Staff-Captain

and

then

Brigade-Major

to

the

86th

Brigade.)

The

Landing

of

the

86th

Infantry

Brigade

under

Brigadier-General

S.

W.

Hare,

on

the

Gal-

LiPOLi

Peninsula,

25TH

April

1915,

and its

Subsequent

Operations

On

the

23rd

April

1915, ship

after

ship

steamed

out

of

Mudros

Harbour

—

each

packed

with

soldiers,

English,

Scotch, Irish,

New

Zealanders,

Australians,

French

troops,

black

Senegalese,

part

of

the

Foreign

Legion

—

through

the

line

of

battleships

and

smaller

war-craft,

both

British

and

French.

The

Australians

led

the

way

and

made

the

air

ring

with

resounding

cheers

;

these

were

replied

to

by

the

sailors,

and

taken

up

by

each

transport

in

turn

with

inspiring

enthusiasm.

The

Lancashire

Fusiliers

were

divided between

H.M.S.

Euryalus

and

H.M.S.

lm.placahle

;

the

Royal

Fusiliers

in

H.M.S.

Implacable;

the

Royal

Munster

and

the

Royal

Dublin

Fusiliers

in the S.S.

River

Clyde;

the

Brigade

Headquarters

in

the

mine-sweeper

S.S.

Whitby

Abbey.

The

exchange

from the

transports

was made after the arrival at

Tenedos.

On

the

25th

April

the

brigade

paraded

to

the

sound

of

the

bombardment,

a thunder of

ships' guns

about

175



176 WITH THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

the

coast

in

the

first

light

of

dawn,

and

made

ready

to

disembark.

As

the

Whitby Abbey

stood

in towards

the

beach

east of

Cape

Helles,

aimed

fire

began

to

strike

the

ship,

and men

were

killed

and

wounded

as

they

stood

paraded

on the deck

ready

to

file

into

the

boats.

There

was

no

cover.

The

men-o'-war

boats

came

alongside,

arranged

in

tows

of

four

or

five,

to

be

taken

close

in

by

steam

pinnaces.

They

made

one

trip

from

the

Euryalus,

and

had

to

be

cleared

of

dead

and

wounded

before others

could

file

into

them

from

the

Whitby

Abbey.

When

the

steamboat

could

get

no

closer the

bluejackets

took

to

their

oars,

the boats

were

separated

and

made

for

the

beach.

There

was

no

confusion,

but

it

was

not

easy

to be

quick,

as

the

boats

were crowded

and some

of

the

rowers

were hit. Little

re-adjustments

had

to

be

made

to let

soldiers

get

to

vacant

oars.

The

Brigade

Staff

landed with

the

Lancashire

Fusiliers on

beach "W."

The

Brigadier

and

Major

Frankland,

Brigade-Major,

had seen

the

first

party

of

Lancashire

Fusiliers,

who

were

put

ashore

in the

middle

of

the

beach,

suffer

severely

in

the

barbed

wire

entanglements

near the

water's

edge

and

up

the

sandy

slope.

They

were

subjected

to a

cross

fire

of machine

guns

and

rifle

fire.

The

Brigadier

and

Major

Frankland

stood

up

and

diverted

all

the

boats

they

could

to the

left,

where

the

men

were able

to land

under

a

certain

amount of cover

afforded

by

the

cliffs. The survivors

on

the

beach

forced

their

way through

and

past

the

wire and

pushed

forward

up

the

centre

of

the

little

valley

leading

from

the

shore.

Captain

Willis,

Captain

Tallents,

and Lieu-

tenant

Seckham

displaying

the

utmost

gallantry.

Major

Adams'

company

had

made

for

theclifT

edgeon

the

left

of the

beach,

which

they

took,

and

ensconced



IN

GALLIPOLI

177

themselves

in

some Turkish

trenches.

The

Brigadier

with

Major

Frankland,

followed

by

a

few

men,

went

up

the

cliff

still

further

to

the

left.

The

men,

handi-

capped

by

their

heavy

packs

and

burden

of

ammuni-

tion,

had

difficulty

in

getting up

the

very

steep

bits

near

the

top,

and the officers found themselves

on

the

plateau

with

half-a-dozen men and

the

Turks

only

twenty

to

forty yards

distant. These

were

firing

at

Major

Adams'

company.

Major

Frankland

took

a

rifle from a

man

and

shot

three

Turks,

if

not

a

fourth.

More

men arrived

and

went

for

the

enemy,

who

gave way.

The

Brigadier

and

Brigade-Major

then

reconnoitred

towards

the

direction

in

which

the

Royal

Fusiliers were

expected

to

appear,

and

on their

return

the

Brigadier

was

severely

wounded.

Seeing

that all

was

going

well

on

the

left.

Major

Frankland

visited

the

company

next

on

the

right

to

get

them

to conform

and

go

forward.

The

adjutant.

Captain

Bromley,

who

was

at

this

point,

set the

men

an

example

of

fearlessness

which

they

cheerfully

followed.

There

is

no

doubt

that

the

action

of

the

Brigadier

in

landing

with the

fore-

most

in

this

unprecedented

enterprise,

together

with

Frankland's

mastery

of

the

situation

after

the

General

was

wounded,

were

together

largely

responsible

for

success.

Each

separate

party

to land

found itself

with

an

individual

task

to

perform

and was

at once

closely

Gf^gsiged.

At a

moment when the

troops

were endur-

ing

the

effects

of

a

bewildering

shock

they

were

given

a

course

to

pursue

with

confidence and

cohesion.

The

Lancashire

Fusiliers had

the

task

on

which

depended

the

success of

the

troops

landing

on

the

beaches

right

and

left of

them. Had

they

failed the

others

must have

been

destroyed.

A

message

came

N



178

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

through

from the

Royal

Fusiliers

that

they

had

landed

north

of

Cape

Helles

without

much

opposition.

The

attention

of

the

Turks

had

been

arrested

by

the

Lan-

cashire

Fusiliers.

It

was

arranged

for

the

two

batta-

lions

to

fight

for

a

junction

and

to

secure

themselves

pending

a

further

advance.

No

news

had come

in

from

the

remaining

two

batta-

lions of

the

brigade,

who

were to

land from

the ex-

collier

River

Clyde

in

the

little

haven of

Sedd-el-Bahr

on

the

right

;

and

no

troops

appeared

to

have

moved

on

to

the

high ground

on

that side

of

beach

"

W."

The

Brigade-Major

and

Staff-Captain,

returned

to

the

beach

with the idea

of

getting

troops

forward on

to

Hill

138

and

Hill

141,

to

take

the

Turkish

redoubts

thereon,

and to assist the

advance

of

the

Royal

Munster

and

Royal

Dublin Fusiliers

from

Sedd-el-Bahr,

also

to establish

Brigade

Headquarters

at

the ruined

light-

house,

which

had

previously

been named

as a

spot

to

which

all

reports

should be

sent

when

a

footing

had

been

secured.

This

lighthouse

proved

to be

within

two

hundred

yards

of

a

Turkish

redoubt,

but

was

close

to

the

edge

of the

cliff.

Captain

Haworth

was

reorganizing

the

remnant of

his

company,

the

first

to

land,

on

the

beach

:

only

about

fifty

were

left

of

the double

com.pany,

and

there

were

also

there

twelve men

of

Captain

Shaw's

company

under Second

Lieutenant

Beaumont.

The

first effort

to

reach

the

high ground

here

by

Captain

Haworth

had

been

foiled

by

a

heavy

explosion

on

the

cliff

edge

just

as

it

was reached.

The

men

had

literally

been

blown

back,

and

there

had

been

many

casualties.

Porter was

killed

here.

Amongst

and

beyond

a

long

barbed

wire

entangle-

ment,

which

had been

enfiladed

by

machine

guns,

were the still forms of

many

score.

Such a

charge



IN GALLIPOLI

179

from

the

water's

edge

must

these

men

have made.

The dead dotted

behind

them

upon

the

sand

bore

witness

to the

fire

through

which

they

had

run.

Cap-

tain

Maunsell,

Captain

Thomas

and

Lieutenant

Wil-

Hamson

were

there

in

the foremost

Hues,

fallen

with

the comrades

of

many years

in

work

and

sport

:

comradeship

that

keeps

lit the

spirit

of

the

regiment,

and on

this

day

made

possible

the sacrifice

and

the

success.

Major

Frankland

explained

what

was

required,

and

led,

under

cover

of the

cliff,

to

the

lighthouse.

It was

then found that

Captain

Shaw

had

moved his

company

on

to

the

high

ground immediately

on

the

right

of

beach

"W,"

and

his initiative

had

undoubtedly

se-

cured us

from an

immediate counter

attack

on

this

flank,

and

also assisted

very materially

to

further

Major

Frankland's

plan.

Captain

Haworth

extended

his

men

below

the

crest

of

the

cliff,

along

a

ledge,

and then

moved them towards

a

redoubt

which could be

seen

close behind

an

exceedingly

thick

entanglement

of

barbed wire. Second Lieutenant Beaumont

was sent

v/ith

his twelve

men

to

the

ridge

which

connected the

high

ground

of

Hill

138

with

that

of

Hill

141,

dominat-

ing

Sedd-el-Bahr.

Both

parties

got

as

far

as the wire

and then

could

get

no

further

:

there was a

fold

of

ground

in

which

the men

could

lie

without

much

risk,

and the

TurT^s

could

not

fire

directly

into

it

without

exposing

themselves.

Any

effort to

cut the

wire

proved

to be

courting

instant death.

Lieutenant

Cunliffe

came

up

with

a small

party

of

machine

gunners

but

without

machine

guns.

He

took

up

a

position

between

Captain

Shaw

and

Captain

Haworth. In

landing

Lieutenant

Cunliffe

had

been

launched

into

deep

water

and

swam

ashore,

wearing

his

full

equipment

with

heavy pack

and

rifle.

It

was a



180

WITH

THE


feat

which

only

a

very

fine swimmer

could

have

per-

formed,

and

it was

under fire.

Later,

he collected

his

gun

teams

and took

them

to

fill

the

gap

described,

thereby linking

up

the

battalion,

which

henceforward

had

perfect

internal

communication

and

occupied

a

position

which fulfilled

all

that

was

required

of

it

—

a

result

attained

by

the

skill

and boldness of

Captain

Willis

and

Captain

Shaw,

the

perspicuity

of

Cunliflfe,

and

by

the

tenacity

of

Captain

Haworth.

Near

the

lighthouse

the

ground

rose

gently

to

the

right

and

up

to

a

ridge

which

commanded both

the

ground

we

occupied

and

also,

on

the

far

side,

the

ground

above Sedd-el-Bahr.

Captain

Haworth

was

liable to

enfilade

from

here,

and

an

occupation

by

the

Turks of this

ridge

would

have been

very dangerous.

Second

Lieutenant

Beaumont with

his

twelve

men

was

placed

to

protect

this

flank.

It

is

a

mystery

why

no

counter-attack

was

made

;

there

were

a

considerable

number of

Turks

in

the

two redoubts

and

in

the

fort

above

Sedd-el-Bahr,

and these

kept

up

a

brisk

fire.

At

about

8.30

a.m.

Major

Frankland made

a

personal

reconnaissance to

endeavour

to find

a

way

of

assisting

the

troops

landing

from

the

River

Clyde.

He

stood

up

to

use

his

glasses and

was

killed

instantly.

The

Staff-Captain

then

temporarily

assumed command

of

the

brigade.

He

established

his

headquarters

under

cover of the ruins of the

lighthouse,

which

gave

a

shelter

of

a

space

of

about

eight yards

by

four.

The

Signal

Section

got

into

touch with

Divisional

Headquarters

on

board

H.M.S.

EuryaJus,

with

the

River

Clyde

aground

at

Sedd-el-Bahr,

and with

the

Royal

Fusiliers.

This

section

consisted of

Royal

Engineers,

Territorial

Force. Their

efficiency

and

coolness

were

remarkable,

and

it was

their

first

experi-

enc€

under

fire.

Captain

King

and

Sergeant

Spears



IN

GALLIPOLI

181

set

an

example

which

was

lived

up

to

by

every

one

of

the

section,

and

maintained

throughout

all the

follow-

ing

most

arduous

operations.

All

the

day

the

Turks

sniped Brigade

Headquarters

and

Captain

Haworth's

men :

it was

difficult

to

locate

whence

the

fire came.

About

a

dozen

men

were

hit.

About

II a.m.

Captain

Haworth

was

shot

through

the

back

and

body,

but

he

refused

to

be

moved,

and

continued

to

command

his

men

until

four

o'clock

in

the

afternoon,

when

reinforcements

of

two

battalions

came

up

and

took

the

redoubts.

The

Royal

Fusiliers

sent

in

precise

and

accurate

reports

:

they got

into

communication

with

the

87th

Brigade

on

their

left,

and

complied

with the

order

to

co-operate

with

the

Lancashire

Fusiliers

in

pushing

back

the

enemy

sufficiently

far

to

give

freedom

in

landing

more

troops

on

beach

"W."

The Worcestershire

and

Essex battalions

of

the

88th

Brigade

began

operations

about

2

p.m.,

and

by

5.20

p.m. they

had

the

Turkish

positions

on

Hill

138

in

their

hands.

The

troops

then

entrenched themselves.

Divisional

Headquarters

remained

on

board

H.M.S.

Euryalus,

where

touch

with

all

landings

was

obtained

by

wireless,

but

Colonel

Wolley-Dod,

General

Staff,

landed at beach

"

W

"

during

the

afternoon

to

control

operations

in the

vicinity,

and

at

7

p.m.

sent

for

the

Staff-Captain

to

assist him.

Throughout

this

day

at

Brigade

Headquarters

there

was

doubt

as to

the

exact

situation at

Sedd-el-Bahr.

By

running

from

the

lighthouse

and

then

slipping

over

the

edge

of the

cliff,

a

position

could

be

reached

from

which the

River

Clyde

could

be seen

;

and

visual

communication

was

established with

the

88th

Brigade

Signal

Section,

who worked

behind

iron

plates

on

the

bridge

of

the

collier.



182

WITH THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

By

gingerly

picking

a

way

it was

possible

to

reach

a

point

above

some

men

who

had landed

from the

ex-collier

and

to

shout

to

them.

They

could

get

no

further,

and the

cliff

was unclimbable.

There were

very

few and

almost

all

wounded.

There

appeared

to

be

a

line

of

men

holding

a

ridge

across

the

beach,

but

who

made

no

progress.

It

transpired

later

that

they

were

dead,

cut

down

by

machine-gun

fire as

they

made

a

rush. The

messages,

which

came

by

helio,

gave

the

impression

that

great

difficulties

were

being

encountered.

In

fact,

on

that

day

"V"

beach

was

impossible

to live

upon,

and,

almost,

to

land

upon,

although

attempt

after

attempt

was

made.

The

Com-

manding

Officer

was

killed

:

the

troops

left

on

board

were

sheltering

behind

iron

plating.

The

night

of the

25th

April

was

dark.

The

ist/5th

Battalion

Royal

Scots

(Territorials)

were

landed

on

beach

"W" as

a

reserve,

and

some

working

parties

of the

Royal

Naval

Division.

The

survivors

of

the

troops

in

the River

Clyde

landed at

Sedd-el-Bahr

and

began

their task ashore.

The

Turks

attacked

the

position

covering

beach

"

W."

The reserve had

to

be

used,

and

then

every

man

with a

rifle,

servants,

police,

orderlies.

It

began

to

rain

and

was

cold.

The

Signal

Section had

to

vacate

their

position,

and

communication

was

cut off

except

by

means

of

order-

lies,

who had to work over

strange

ground,

and

these

only

brought

in

requests

for

reinforcements,

of which

there

were none.

The

volume

of fire

was

very great.

Captain

Willis

did

great

service

during

this

night

in

establishing

a

feeling

of cool

confidence

in

his

portion

of the

line,

and

this

spread;

no

ground

was

lost that

had

been

so

hardly

won.

On

the

26th

April

the

troops

from

Sedd-el-Bahr

cleared

the

village,

captured

the

old

Castle

Ridge,

and,



IN

GALLIPOLI

183

in

conjunction

with

the

troops

on

Hill

138,

cleared

Hill

141.

The

Royal

Munster

Fusiliers

and

Royal

Dublin

Fusiliers

with

a half-battalion

of the

Hamp-

shire

regiment,

organized

by

Colonel

Doughty

Wylie,

and

led

by

him

and such

officers

as

Majors

Grimshaw

and

Molesworth,

Tomlinson,

Nightingale,

and Walde-

grave,

did

magnificently.

Their force

of

arms drove

back

superior

numbers

of

the

Turks

from

their

points

of

vantage

and

into

headlong

rout.

The

fallen Grim-

shaw

was

spoken

of

as

might

have

been Roland

of

Charlemagne's

day

by

the

witnesses

of

his deeds

in

the

throes of close combat.

The

position

won

was

quickly

secured

and

consoli-

dated

under

the

direction

of

Colonel

Williams,

an

officer

of

Sir

Ian

Hamilton's

Staff,

and

the

Brigade-

Major

of

the

86th

Brigade,

Major

Molesworth

and

a

few

remaining

officers

doing

the

work

of

a

score

in

reorganizing.

The

men,

though

deprived

of most

of

their

accustomed

leaders,

worked

quietly according

to

their

thorough

training.

Colonel

D.

E.

Cayley

of the

Worcestershire

regi-

ment was

appointed temporarily

to

command

the

brigade,

and

Captain

Kane,

Royal

Munster

Fusiliers,

assumed

the

duties of

Staff-Captain,

the

latter

having

been

promoted

to be

Brigade-Major.

On

the

28th

April

the 86th

Brigade,

having

reorgan-

ized,

was

at

first

employed

in

reserve.

At

8

a.m.

they

entrenched

a

position

in

support

of

the main

attack,

which

was

being

pressed

forward

by

the French on

the

right,

the

88th

Brigade

in

the

centre,

and

87th

Brigade

on

the

left.

Only

general

instructions

could

be

given

for

the

movement,

as

the situation ahead

could

not be

gauged,

and

it

was

necessary

to take

risks

to

reap

advantage

from

the success

already

gained.

It

was

possible

that the

Turks

might

not

stand

before the



184

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

position

of

Achi

Baba

was

captured.

Delay

meant

that

the

Turks

would

gain

heart,

and also

more

guns

and

reinforcements.

It was

a

big

risk,

to advance

without

reconnaissance

and

without

artillery

support,

the

thin line

of

infantry stretching

across the

penin-

sula,

and

no

weight

anywhere

with

which to

carry

through

an assault.

The

guns

of

the

ships

could

not

give

the close

support

necessary

for

infantry owing

to

the

flatness

of

their

trajectory.

But it

was

necessary.

Ground

had

to

be

gained

to

give

safety

in

disembark-

ing

stores,

men,

and

guns,

and

to

support

other

land-

ings.

The

attempt,

in

spite

of slender

numbers,

achieved

much

success.

At

11.30

a.m.

Major-General

Marshall,

who

was

temporarily

commanding

the three

brigades

of

British

infantry,

gave

orders

for

the 86th

Brigade

to

join

in

the

main

attack. The

88th

Brigade

were in difficulties

and

were

short

of

ammunition.

The

86th

Brigade

re-

ceived orders

to

take forward ammunition

for

the

88th,

and

to

carry

the latter

on

in

the

advance to

the

objective

given.

This

was

a

spur

lying

north-east of

Krithia,

and

involved

the

capture

of

this

village.

The

Royal

Fusiliers

and

the

Lancashire Fusiliers

were

given

written

orders

;

and

the

firing

line

and

supports

for

the

attack

were

organized

in

a

nullah,

under

cover,

and

launched

under

the

command

of

Major

Bishop.

The

Royal

Munster

Fusiliers and

the

Royal

Dublin Fusi-

liers

formed the reserve.

Major

Pearson

was

given

the

task

of

organizing

the

ammunition

supply.

The

written

orders,

issued to the

four

battalions,

named

a

point

of

direction

for

the

first

phase

of

the

advance,

a

prominent

white

mosque

at

the

western

end

of

Krithia

village.

The

left

platoon

of the

Lancashire

Fusiliers,

under

Second

Lieutenant

Needham,

was

given

the

duty

of

directing

the advance

;

the

Royal



IN

GALLIPOLI

185

Fusiliers

were

on

the

left.

The

whole

line

was

given

orders

to

conform

to

the

movements

of

the

directing

platoon.

Commanding

officers

were interviewed

per-

sonally

by

the

Brigadier,

who

explained

the situation

and

the

orders.

Then

the

advance

began.

At

this

juncture

the

French,

on

the

right,

appeared

to

be

retiring

from

the

ground

they

had taken

earlier

in

the

day.

The

88th

Brigade

were

in

difficulties,

and

a Staff

Officer

sent

back

for

assistance.

Unluckily

the

message

did

not

reach

Headquarters,

but

did

reach

some

portions

of

both

the

Royal

Munster

Fusiliers

and

the

Royal

Dublin

Fusiliers,

and some

of these

were

diverted,

unorganized,

into the

88th

Brigade,

and

lost

touch

with

their

own.

These

battalions

had

lost

many

officers

on

the

25th

and

26th,

and

were

moving

in

small

parties,

in

artillery

formation,

to

avoid

the

effect

of

shrapnel

fire.

In

con-

sequence

the

86th

Brigade

lost

the

power

of

giving

weight

to

their

movement.

It

was

a

most unfortunate

accident.

The

Brigade-Major

was

sent

to

collect

as

many

as he

could

get

touch

with,

and

returned

with

those

he

found

to

Brigade

Headquarters.

Major

Pearson

had

now

got

up

some

ammunition

on

pack

animals.

Reports

were

received

that

the

87th

Brigade

on the

left

was

held

up by

entrenchments.

Major-General

Marshall

gave

orders

for the

ammuni-

tion to be

taken forward

and

for

the

86th

Brigade

to

push

on. Some

fifty

of

the

Royal

Dublin

Fusiliers

loaded themselves with bandoliers

full

of

ammunition,

and

were

led

to

the

firing

line

by

the

Brigade-Major.

The

firing

line was

found

to be

taking

advantage

of

some natural

cover,

and was

sufficiently

protected

to

avoid

many

casualties. It

was

packed

and

stationary.

The

ammunition

party, by good

fortune,

had

come

up

near

to Second

Lieutenant

Needham

with

the

direct-



186

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

ing

platoon.

The

ammunition

was

passed

down the

line

and the

party

sent

back under

Sergeant

Fergusson,

R.D.F.,

whose

services

were

most

valuable. Orders

brooked

no

delay,

and

there

was

no

change

of

plan.

Training

has

been

to

mutually

support

advance

and

to conform

to movement.

Captain

Shaw

was

next

to Second

Lieutenant

Need-

ham,

and

arranged

to

cover

his

advance

with

fire.

Word

was

passed

down

the line

that

an

advance

was

about

to take

place.

Then

Needham,

with

about

fifty

men,

made

a rush.

The

adjutant,

Captain

Bromley,

dashed

out

with

them.

Some

of

the

Royal

Fusiliers

under

Cripps

and

O'Connell

conformed

and

moved

forward on

the

left.

The

Turks

fired

very

accurately,

and

the

rushes

had

to be

short

and

quick.

The

movement was

exhilarat-

ing

and

rapid.

A certain

number of

men

were

lost,

but

by

one bit of

the

line

covering

the

other

with

short

bursts

of

rapid

fire,

a

wood

was

reached,

afterwards

known as the

Twelve Tree

Wood. This

was

very

shallow

and

had

thick

undergrowth.

Here

were

found

many

dead

and

wounded Turks.

Captain

Bromley

and

Second Lieutenant Needham

and

the

Brigade-Major,

with

Sergeant

Burtchael

and

a

few

men,

went

through

the

wood,

down

a

heathery

slope

into

a

shallow

depression,

and

up

into

some cover

on

the

opposite

rise

leading

to Krithia.

The

buildings

on the

outskirts could be

clearly

seen,

and

Turks

running

back

and

jumping

into some

small

quarries.

Shouts for

the line

to

come forward met

with

no

response.

Probably

the

men

who

had

made

the

rapid

advance

were

exhausted,

carrying

heavy

packs

and

200

rounds

of

ammunition.

Officers

had

been

wounded,

and it

is

probable

that

no

one

respon-

sible

was

left

unwounded

who

knew

that

the little

party

had

gone

beyond

the

wood to

reconnoitre

while

re-



IN

GALLIPOLI

187

organization

was

taking

place.

Seckham

had

been

wounded

in

the wood.

Captain

Bromley

offered

to

go

back

and

bring

on

the

line

:

he made a

movement

to

go

and was

shot

through

the knee.

Sergeant

Burt-

chael

took

him

back,

and

they

joined Captain

Willis,

who

had

brought

his

men

up

near the

wood,

and

Captain

Shaw

was

close

by

on

his left.

The

little

party

remained

in

observation and

were

able

to make

a

good

reconnaissance,

then,

as no

further

advance

was

made,

the

Turks

began

to come

back. A

private

soldier of

the

Royal

Dublin

Fusiliers

was

hit

in

the

groin,

and

when he

was bound

up,

those

remain-

ing

crawled

back

with

him

into the

undergrowth

of

the

slope

rising

to

the

wood,

and

lay

down.

A

Royal

Fusilier

went on with the

wounded

man,

crawling

through

the

cover. There

were

left then

Second

Lieutenant

Needham,

one

Royal

Dublin

Fusilier,

and

the

Brigade-Major.

The

Turks

came

up

quite

close,

and

a

machine

gun

opened

fire

some

forty

yards

away,

firing

obliquely

under

cover

of the

wood

and

making

use

of the de-

pression

in

the

ground.

The

party

of

three

decided

to bolt

;

they

crawled into the

wood,

and

did what was

possible

to

find

if

there

was

any

one

left

there

alive,

but

apparently

the

wounded

had

got

clear.

Both sides

were now

firing

at the

wood,

and

nothing

could

be

seen

of the

British,

every

one

had

gone

back.

This

had been done

because

the

French

on

the

ex-

treme

right

had

retired,

and

the 88th

Brigade

had

con-

formed

to

iheir

movement.

A

run

for

something

like

a

mile

brought

shelter behind a

line of

South

Wales

Borderers,

of the

87th

Brigade,

in

response

to

a

signal

from

Captain

Greenway.

It

took

more than a

month

and

many

lives

to

regain

the

ground

which was

ours

on

this

day,

and

all

this

time

the

Turks

were

digging

and

transforming

the



188

WITH THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

slopes

of

Krithia

into outworks

of

the Achi Baba

stronghold.

But

it

must

be

remembered

that the

only

troops

available

were

those

who

had

fought

and lost

fifty

per

cent,

of

their

numbers

during

the three

pre-

ceding

days

and

nights.

On

learning

the result

of the

reconnaissance

Major-

General Marshall

approved

of a

plan

to

pivot

the

line

of

the

87th

and

86th

on

the

left,

and

to

swing

round

the

right

in

order

to

take

the

entrenchments

which

were

holding up

the

left.

As

the

troops

in

the centre

fell

back

this

plan

could

not

be

carried

out,

as

there

was insufficient

daylight

left

to

organize

protection

for the

right

flank.

To

make the

best

of matters

before

dark,

orders

were

given

to

dig

in

on

a

line,

later

known

as

the

Eski

line.

Troops

which

had fallen

back

were

got

into

position,

and a

continuous

line

was

made

across the

peninsula,

the

French

joining

the

British

by

the

East

Krithia

road.

This

was

done

during

the

night,

which

was

dark

and

wet.

Fortunately

the

Turks

made no

counter-attack

during

this

night

of

the

28th

—

29th

April,

and

the

day

of

the

29th

also

passed

quietly.

Certain

re-adjustments

of

the

line

were

able

to

be

made.

Barbed

wire

was

brought

up

with

which

to

construct

obstacles,

reserves

of

ammunition

were

collected

and

the

position

was

strengthened.

When

the

Brigade-Major

went

to

arrange

for

the

consolidation

of

the

position,

only

one

oflicer

of

the

Royal

Dublin

Fusiliers was

left,

Lieutenant

O'Hara,

who

rose

to

every

occasion

with

the

greatest

coolness

and

competence,

from

commanding

a

platoon

at

the

terrible

landing

from the

River

Clyde

to

the

command

of

a

company

the

next

day,

and

after

the

28th

April

to

commanding

the

battalion.

On

the

morning

of

the

30th

Colonel

H.

G.

Casson,



IN

GALLIPOLI

189

C.M.G.,

was

appointed

to

command

the

brigade.

About

1. 10

p.m.

a

strong

sl<irmishing

line

was

ob-

served

to

be

advancing

from

the

direction

of

Achi

Baba.

The

Royal

Munster

Fusiliers

and

the

Royal

Dublin

Fusiliers

were

temporarily

amalgamated

into

one unit

under

Major

Hutchinson,

and

held

the

right

of the

section

allotted

to the

brigade;

the

Lancashire

Fusi-

liers

were on

their

left,

and the

Royal

Fusiliers en-

trenched

in

reserve.

The

strength

of

the

brigade

had

been

reduced

to

—

2nd

Royal

Fusiliers,

12

officers,

481

other

ranks;

I

St

Lancashire

Fusiliers,

11

officers,

399

other

ranks;

ist

Royal

Munster

Fusiliers,

12

officers,

596

other

ranks;

ist

Royal

Dublin

Fusiliers,

I

officer,

374

other

ranks

;

from

the normal

strength

per

battalion

of

26

officers

and

(approximately)

1000

other

ranks.

Sniping

was

continuous,

and late

in

the

day

the

posi-

tion was

heavily

shelled.

Brigade

Headquarters

had

been established

under

shelter

of the

walls about

a ruined stone

farm-house,

later

known

as

Fig

Tree

Farm,

close

to the

firing

line,

because

it had been desirable

for

many

reasons

to

be

on

the

spot.

Here

were

beautiful

fig-trees

and

a

garden, grown

wild

with fiowers

in

bloom.

In the afternoon General Hunter-Weston visited

the

line

and ordered

Brigade

Headquarters

to

be

moved

further back.

On the ist

May

the

day

was

spent

in

strengthening

the

position

and

resting the

men.

Reinforcements,

stores,

and

guns

were

landed.

At

dusk

an

action

began

which

increased

in violence

as

the

night

progressed.

Somewhat

early

in

the

night

a

spot

difficult

to

defend,

owing

to the

line

being

pierced

at

an

angle

by bifurcating

nullahs,

was

rushed,

and a number of

the

enemy

succeeded

in

breaking



190

WITH

THE

TWENTY-NINTH

DIVISION

through.

A

counter-attack

with the

bayonet

by

the

Royal

Fusiliers

and

some of the

Essex

regiment

led

by

Captain

Pepys

was

successful.

All

through

the

operations

the

Royal

Fusiliers

worked

with the smoothest

precision

;

never for

a

moment

did

they

lose their

high

standard

of

efficiency.

No

task

was

relinquished

while

it

was

humanly

pos-

sible to

complete

it.

With

such

men

as

Moore,

Shafto,

and

Hope-Johnston

in

control,

all

officers

inspiring

confidence,

and

the

disciplined

conduct

of

the

men

showing

their

friendly

trust

in

them,

there

was

never

a

fear that

the reserve

might

fail

in

stemming

the

assault.

Captain

Moore,

in

telephonic

communication

throughout

the

night

with the

firing

line and

Brigade

Headquarters,

gave

accurate and

constant

information

of the

progress

of

the

fight,

and

acted

on

his own

initiative

or carried

out

orders

rapidly

to

deal

with

every

situation.

The

firing

was

heavy,

and,

in

spite

of a

brigade

reserv^e

of

70,000

rounds

which had been

accumulated

by

the

ruined

farm-house,

more

ammunition

was

needed.

When

the

line

was

broken,

some

forty

men

fell

back

till

they

were

stopped

at

Brigade

Head-

quarters.

It

was

a

platoon

which had

lost

its

officer

and

accustomed N.C.O.'s.

The

men

were told

that there

was

an

opportunity

to

make

up

for

their

conduct.

They jumped

at the

chance.

Under

a

heavy

fire,

led

by

Captain

Kane,

who was

temporarily

acting

as

Stafif-Captain,

and the

staff

clerk.

Sergeant

Burton

(lately

of

Messrs.

Cox

and

Co.),

they

made

three

journeys

to

the

firing

line,

carrying

boxes

of

ammunition. No

mean

feat

in

pitch

darkness,

over

broken

country

and

with

bullets

flying,

and the

men

were

eventually

allowed

to

resume

their

places

in

the

firing

line.

Later

it

was

learnt,

from

copies

which

were

found



IN

GALLIPOLI

191

of

the

Turkish

orders

for

the

attack,

that

this

had

been

made

by

16,000

of

their

best

troops,

with

2000

in re-

serve.

The

fiercest

fighting

was

against

the Irish

regiments,

who

were

defending

the

weakest

part

of

the

line

and bore

the

greatest

weight

of

the

attack.

When

the

masses

were

checked

close

to

the

British

line,

Germans

could

be

heard

cursing,

and

the

sound

of

blows

as

they

tried

to

urge

on

the

Turks.

In the

morning

there

were dead

in

piles

close

to the

British

trenches.

A

certain

number

of the

enemy

came

in

and

gave

themselves

up.

At

dawn

the

sight

was

wonderful

;

the

countryside

alive with the

enemy

in

retreat,

the

French

artillery

and

our

own

dealing

death

to

them

with

shrapnel.

Many

snipers

were

left

close

to

the

line,

and

the

sniping

on

the 2nd

May

was

very

severe.

A

counter-attack

was

ordered,

but

owing

to

the

absence of

adequate artillery

support

and the

heavy

fire

to

which our

troops

were

subjected

from

the

moment

of

showing

themselves

beyond

the

trenches,

no

progress

was

made and the

line

previously

held

was

resumed.

The

night

of

the 2nd

—

3rd

May

there

was

an

attack

by

the

enemy,

but

it

was not

seriously

pressed.

The

3rd

May

was

quiet,

and was

spent

by

both sides

in

bringing

in wounded and

burying

dead.

Sub-

sequently

the

Turks never

permitted

this.

That

night

there was continuous

firing

and

shelling

by

the

enemy.

Of

all

brave

men who

throughout

this

period

deserve

most

generous

gratitude

there

is

Pirie,

the

surgeon.

He

was

apparently

untiring.

To

realize

the casual-

ties

is

to

know his

task,

fulfilled

with

sympathy,

fine

skill,

and

unruffled

nerve. He

ignored

danger.



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